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LASSOING WILD ANIMALS 
IN AFRICA 




COLONEL C. J. JONES (BUFFALO JONES) 



LASSOING WILD 
ANIMALS IN AFRICA 



BY 

GUY H. SCULL 

FIELD MANAGER OF THE BUFFALO JONES 
AFRICAN EXPEDITION 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT 

AND A FOREWORD BY 

CHARLES S. BIRD 




WITH THIRTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS 
FROM PHOTOGRAPHS 



NEW YORK 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

1911 






Copyright, 1911, by 
Frederick A. Stokes Company 




May, 1911 



THE . PLIMPTON • PRESS 

[ W . D . O] 
NORWOOD • MASS • U • 8 • A 



C(.A28G958 



INTRODUCTION 

'^HE expedition of Buffalo Jones to 
Africa was noteworthy in every 
way. The feats described by Mr, 
Scull are true in every detail; and no 
hunter with the rifle deserves the credit that 
Mr. Jones and his two coivpuncher com- 
rades, Messrs. Loveless and Means, de- 
serve. Their feats in roping lion, rhino, 
giraffe, and other animals were extraor- 
dinary performances, and showed a cool 
gallantry and prowess which should rejoice 
the hearts of all men who have hnowfi the 
West and who have felt that the old-style 
plainsman, and his more modern repre- 
sentative, the expert cowpuncher, are fit to 
grapple with any emergency of wild life. 

The expedition was singularly lucky 
in having with it the accomplished nature 
[v] 



Introduction 

photographer, Mr, Kearton, to make per- 
manent record of what occurred. For cool 
courage and proficiency in his art there is 
nothing to choose between Mr, Kearton 
and any one of the men actively engaged 
in the work of roping the dangerous wild 
beasts hunted by the party. The writer of 
the experiences, Mr, Scull, is a Harvard 
man who was in my regiment; and it was 
fortunate that there was with the party 
some man who could record the experiences 
with truthful accuracy. No hunting trip 
more worthy of commemoration ever took 
place in Africa, 

Theodore Roosevelt. 

February U. 1911, 



[vi] 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction v 

Foreword xi 

PART I 

Lassoing the Wart-hog, the Eland, the 
Hartebeest, the Serval-cat and the 
Cheetah 3 

PART II 
Lassoing the Giraffe and the Rhinoceros 49 

PART III 
Lassoing the Lion 93 



[vii] 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Colonel C. J. Jones (Buffalo Jones). .Frontispiece 

Facing Page 

The Colonel and his two cowboys, Loveless 

and Means 8 

Triumphal procession through the main 

street of Nairobi 16 

The rope caught the wart-hog fairly around 

the neck and forelegs 22 

It was necessary to rope him again by the 

heels 23 

Before releasing the wart-hog we posed him 

for his picture 26 

The wart-hog nearly rips up the horse's legs 27 
Driving the eland toward the cameras . . 30 
The smell of the strange beast starts the 

black horse bucking 32 

With rope fast to saddle, the black careered 

around the eland 33 

Roping a hartebeest in the open .... 36 
Roping a serval-cat — a difficult task as 

this animal travels close to the ground . 40 

"Dropped the noose over the cheetah's head 

and dragged him out on to the open veldt " 44 
The cheetah, in the noose, posing for his 

photograph 45 

[ix] 



List of Illustrations 

Facing Pagh 

The Colonel handling the cheetah ... 46 

A zebra safely roped 50 

"Loveless succeeded in placing the noose on 

the high neck of the giraffe". ... 62 
" Well, how are we going to take this rope off 

him.?" 66 

"With the roped leg he dragged the horse 

after him" 70 

The rhino about to charge Gobbet's camera 74 
"One length of line left — the rest of the 

ropes dangling, broken, from the rhino" . 78 
"Step by step the horses dragged him to a 

tree, where Loveless made the rope fast" 82 
"From ant-hill to thorn- tree and back again 

the fight went on" 86 

"He charged again, feebly, but the ropes 

held well and tripped him" .... 90 
" All at once the lioness charged " . . .102 
"Swinging and tossing about in frantic 

endeavor to get loose" 108 

Laying an extra line to make sure of her . 112 
Her last struggle for freedom — trying to 

cut the rope with her teeth . . . .116 

"The rest was easy" 120 

Bound and muzzled 124 

Leaving her hunting-ground forever . . . 130 
The lioness at home (Bronx Park, New 

York) as "a souvenir of the trip" . . 134 
[x] 



FOREWORD 

THE expedition of which this is a 
chronicle centers around the per- 
sonahty of Col. C. J. Jones. It 
was he who conceived the idea; his 
boundless enthusiasm and optimism per- 
suaded me that such an expedition was 
practicable, and his determination, en- 
ergy, and daring carried it to a successful 
issue. Without, however, the skill and 
courage of the two cowboys. Loveless and 
Means, without the iron nerve of Kear- 
ton, the photographer, and, above all, 
without the patience, force, and grit of 
Scull, the expedition might not have been 
successful. Two years ago, when Colonel 
Jones and I were camping on the Kaibab 
Plateau on the northern rim of the Grand 
Canon of Arizona, we were discussing 
[xi] 



Foreword 

big game hunting in British East Africa. 
Jones was deploring the kilHng of wild 
animals. Suddenly he turned to me 
with the proposal that we both go to 
Africa and with Western cow ponies 
lasso and capture the big game of that 
country. He realized, he said, that no 
one would believe it possible, but for 
that reason he was the more anxious to 
show the world how easy it would be for 
American coAvboys to rope and subdue 
the fiercest and biggest game. 

At the time the proposal seemed quix- 
otic and, in spite of Jones's enthusiasm, 
evident sincerity, and profound belief in 
the eventual success of such an expedi- 
tion, it was treated by the rest of us more 
or less jocosely. Later, when I learned 
to know Jones better, and understood his 
courage, determination, and skill in the 
face of danger, and his never-failing con- 
fidence and alertness, as shown on our 
[xii] 



Foreword 

trip north of the Grand Canon, I began 
to have faith in his abihty to do what he 
proposed. 

Impossible? That word does not fit 
Jones. You cannot find it in his vocab- 
ulary. When you understand him and 
know what he has accomplished, you feel 
confident that anything, however un- 
usual, which he may undertake in the 
animal world may be possible. Rightly 
or wrongly he firmly beheves that all 
wild animals, from the elephant down, 
can be lassoed, captured, and subdued 
by man if, as he expresses it, "one has 
courage in his heart and determination 
in his soul." 

He is at his best in the plains, where 
he is resourceful, daring, and confident, 
almost reckless, in fact. Yet he under- 
stands wild life so well that feats which 
in another would appear foolhardy seem 
to be easily and safely done by him. 
[xiii] 



Foreword 

For many years lie has devoted much 
of his hfe to the study, preservation, and 
propagation of animal life. Perhaps no 
one has done more than he to preserve 
the American buffalo, and most of the 
remaining herds in this as well as in 
other countries owe their existence to his 
energy and work. Rightfully he is called 
the "preserver of the American bison." 

His trip twelve years ago, when he was 
fifty-five years of age, to the far north, 
with one companion only, to lasso and 
capture young musk-oxen, was remark- 
able and unique. Especially interesting 
is the story of his adventures during 
the long winter months in and around 
the little cabin on Great Slave Lake 
and his return home with the musk- 
oxen. 

In 1907 Ernest Thompson Seton fol- 
lowed Jones's trail to that cabin and 
found around it many skeletons of the 
[xiv] 



Foreword 

wolves with which Jones and his com- 
panion had their fight. 

It was my own observation of Jones, 
however, that convinced me that his pro- 
posed African trip might be successful. 
I shall never forget his lassoing a 200- 
pound cougar which our dogs had chased 
up a big spruce tree a thousand feet down 
the Colorado Canon. Jones climbed the 
tree without gun or knife and faced the 
ugly brute, which at times was not three 
feet above his head. Deliberately and 
coolly he threw the noose of the lariat over 
the head of the animal, which was lash- 
ing its tail and raising its ominous paw, 
seemingly at any second about to strike 
him, while in a quiet voice, alert and con- 
fident, with no trace of fear, he carried on 
an amusing and running talk with the 
savage beast. When the cougar came 
crashing through the limbs to the ground 
amidst the dogs and men, with nothing to 
[xv] 



Foreword 

hold him save a half -inch rope around his 
neck, more lively things happened in a 
second than I could describe in an hour. 

The cougar under most situations is a 
coward, and a cougar hunt with dogs and 
guns where the game is shot out of a tree 
is a tame affair — not livelier than a deer 
or a fox hunt, but to lasso and capture 
a cougar at bay, fighting for his life 
(an animal so powerful that when in 
search of food he will often pull down 
a horse), is a far different matter. It 
is keen and dangerous sport, the result 
always being in doubt from the time the 
dogs give tongue until the game is roped, 
tied, and muzzled. In such a hunt there 
are no dull seconds. 

I knew, of course, the chances were that 
the African trip, absurd and impossible 
as it seemed to be, might end in failure 
and ridicule. Jones might be seriously 
injured and the expedition wrecked. 
[xvi] 



Foreword 

"He is certain to be killed," a friend 
said to me. 

"Well," I replied, "what of it? He 
is sixty -five years old, and I am sure 
would far rather die fighting on the 
plains than in his bed at home." 

The expedition started on its long 
journey, no one, save Jones, perhaps, 
having much confidence in its success. 
At last a cablegram came from Nairobi 
announcing the lassoing and capture of 
giraffes, cheetah, wart-hog, zebras, and 
many other animals; and, best of all, it 
told of a six-hours' fight and capture 
of a large rhinoceros, and later, of the 
lassoing and capture of a full-grown 
lioness. We were disappointed that the 
expedition did not have more time at its 
disposal. Jones wanted to tackle an 
elephant, which he thought would be 
easier than a rhino. "An elephant," 
he said, "stands high, while a rhino is 
[ xvii ] 



Foreword 

built low and is much harder to over- 
turn." 

However, the difficulty of finding game, 
the coming of the rainy season, and the 
fact that the expedition had lasted longer 
than intended, made it unwise to continue 
further. 

I wish to acknowledge our indebtedness 
to Mr. Arthur A. Fowler for his assist- 
ance in outfitting the expedition in 
London and Nairobi, and to the pho- 
tographer. Cherry Kearton, of London, 
expert operator of the cinematographic 
machine, which recorded in thousands 
of film-feet the story of the trip. It is 
difficult to exaggerate the skill and nerve 
required to take a moving picture in the 
midst of a rhino or lion fight, especially 
as so many conditions of light, atmos- 
phere, and position must be almost per- 
fect in order to get any picture at all. 

Our debt is great, also, to Guy H. 
[ xviii ] 



Foreword 

Scull, field manager and the writer of 
this book, who accompanied the expedi- 
tion purely because of his love of clean 
and original sport, and whose patience, 
common sense, and courage helped much 
to carry the expedition to a successful 
finish. 

Charles S. Bird. 

March 1, 1911. 



[xix] 



PART ONE 




LASSOING WILD ANIMALS 
IN AFRICA 



PART ONE 

IT was a special train — loaded to 
capacity with horses and dogs, 
camp baggage, moving-picture cam- 
eras, cowboys, photographers, and por- 
ters; and when it pulled out of the 
Nairobi station on the way to the "up 
country" of British East Africa, the 
period of preparation passed away and 
[3] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

the time of action began. As the faces 
of the people on the platform glided by 
the window of the slowly moving car- 
riage there was good-will written on all 
of them; but also unbelief. There was 
no doubt as to what they thought of 
Buffalo Jones's expedition that was set- 
ting out to rope and tie and photograph 
the wild animals of the East African 
Veldt. 

'*How are you going to hold a rhino 
that weighs two tons and a half.^" 

"What are you going to do when the 
lion charges.^" 

Such were the questions asked us by 
the hunters of the country. They fur- 
ther took pains to explain that a rhino 
charges like a flash, and that a lion can 
catch a horse within a hundred yards. 

These items of information, however, 
were well known to Buffalo Jones before 
the expedition was organized in New 
[4] 



In Africa 

York, and his preparations to meet the 
difficulties had been made accordingly. 

Colonel C. J. Jones is tall and spare, 
with a strong, rugged face and keen blue 
eyes. During his sixty -five years of life 
he has roped and tied, often single- 
handed, every kind of wild animal of 
consequence to be found in our western 
country, and his experience with these 
has led him to believe implicitly that 
man is the master of all wild beasts. 

He has climbed trees after mountain- 
lions, and with a lasso over a branch has 
hauled grizzlies up into the air by one 
hind leg. And once he set out alone to 
journey over a country that no white 
man had ever traveled before, to reach 
the land of the musk-ox on the border of 
the Arctic Circle. The story is told of 
how he met a trapper on the way, and 
how these two, in the face of the hostil- 
ity of all the Indian tribes, the wolves, 
[5] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

and the cold of the northern winter, 
eventually came to the musk-ox and 
captured five calves. Then, deserted by 
their Indian guide, they started to re- 
turn with their prizes, got lost in the 
wilderness, and fought the wolves till 
their cartridges ran out. And when at 
last they reached safety and fell asleep, 
exhausted, the Indians, obeying the laws 
of their religion, stole upon them in the 
night and killed the calves. 

But the success he had achieved with 
the mountain lions of the Southwest, the 
musk-ox of the North, and the grizzly 
bears of the Rockies was not enough. 
For twenty years it had been the one 
ambition of his life to take an outfit 
to British East Africa to try his hand 
with the more ferocious big game of 
that country. But in his Western expe- 
rience Colonel Jones had learned some- 
thing else besides the mastery of man 
[6] 



In Africa 

over beast. Precisely how an American 
cowboy was going to hold a rhinoceros 
that weighed two tons and a hjalf was 
purely a matter of speculation. Yet of 
one thing the Colonel was certain — the 
experiment would result in a moving 
picture that would be well worth the 
taking. For this reason what afterward 
came to be known as the *' picture de- 
partment " was added to the make-up 
of the expedition. 

The preparations extended over a con- 
siderable length of time and were carried 
on in various places. Unquestionably 
the most important part of the outfit 
was the horses. It was absolutely es- 
sential that they should be Western cow- 
ponies, fast, well trained, and reliable 
in every way. The Colonel, who best 
of all could foresee the nature of the work 
they would have to do, selected them 
himself, ten in all, from the ranches of 
[7] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

New Mexico, and shipped them to New 
York. The American dogs to be used 
for traihng were Hkewise chosen by the 
Colonel. Some of them belonged to him 
personally, and had been thoroughly 
tried out- The rest had reputations of 
their own. Of the two cowboys who 
were to act as his assistants, Marshall 
Loveless had worked with the Colonel 
before and knew his methods, and Am- 
brose Means came highly recommended 
for skill and daring from one of the lar- 
gest ranch owners in the West. 

When, at the last moment, the writer 
of these articles was introduced to the 
expedition in the capacity of acting field 
manager, the preparations were well 
under way. The horses and dogs had 
been already shipped, en route to Africa, 
in charge of the cowboys, and the date 
of our sailing for London had been fixed 
for the following day. 
[8] 




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In Africa 

The meeting was held at a luncheon in 
the Railroad Club, in New York. There 
were present Colonel Jones, Mr. F. W. 
Bird, son of Charles S. Bird, who fi- 
nanced the expedition, Mr. W. G. Sewall, 
of the Boma Trading Company of Nai- 
robi, and myself. After certain matters 
of business had been disposed of, the talk 
at the luncheon table drifted to the prob- 
abilities and possibilities of success; to 
lions, rhinos, elands, and cheetahs; to 
cowboys, horses, and dogs. But the 
Colonel would hear of no possibilities, 
or even probabilities, of failure. He was 
peculiarly insistent upon this point. And 
when the hour of the business man's 
lunch time came to an end, and the room 
began to empty, Mr. Sewall said to me 
across the corner of the table: 

'*0f course, every one in Nairobi will 
think all of you either fakers or crazy. 
I know you're no fakers. I don't know 
[9] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

whether you're crazy or not. But there 
is one thing in your favor: The Colonel's 
unshaken belief that the thing can be 
done will probably pull it through." 

On our arrival in London, about the 
middle of January of this year, the work 
of preparation was continued at once. 
Outside of the minor details of the out- 
fit, such as personal equipment, saddlery, 
medicines, bandages, and so forth, the 
first matter to receive attention was the 
organization of the picture department. 
Mr. Cherry Kearton was sought to take 
charge of this branch of the expedition. 
Kearton — a powerfully built York- 
shireman — is an experienced cinemato- 
graph photographer and a naturalist of 
no small reputation. He had taken mov- 
:ig pictures in Africa before, and so he 
knew the climatic conditions there — the 
heat radiation and the different intensities 
of light. He also knew the animals the 
[10] 



In Africa 

Colonel was going to rope. But besides 
being a cinematograph expert and a 
naturalist, he was also a sportsman. 

When Kearton learned of the nature of 
the undertaking, he was skeptical. He 
had no more than a slight acquaintance 
with the Colonel then, and only a vague 
hearsay knowledge of what the American 
cowboy could do. Evidently his mind 
was divided by the dictates of common 
sense and the sporting instinct. On 
many occasions during this time he 
questioned the feasibility of the experi- 
ment in the light of what he knew of 
the African beasts. The agreement, in 
documentary form, was spread out on the 
table in the Boma Trading Company's 
London office when he finally wanted to 
know how in Heaven's name we thought 
this thing could be done. 

"We'll do it," the Colonel said quietly. 
That was all. 

[11] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

"Well, there's a picture in it, any 
way," said Kearton, and signed the 
papers. 

With his assistant, David Gobbet, 
two cinematograph machines and tri- 
pods, hand cameras and developing ap- 
paratus, he set sail immediately for 
Africa, leaving an order for thirty thou- 
sand feet of film to be divided between 
two manufacturers and to be forwarded 
as soon as possible. 

In the meantime Colonel Jones was 
hard at work collecting a rather unusual 
assortment of articles. The experience 
of a lifetime enabled him to foresee what 
kind of materials were absolutely neces- 
sary and what kind might prove useful 
on the present expedition. Naturally 
the articles required were not usually 
in stock, but the London shopkeeper is 
proverbially obliging and imperturbable. 

One rainy morning the Colonel walked 
[12] 



In Africa 

into a hardware store and asked to see 
some handcuflFs. A pair was shown him. 

"Not large enough," said the Colonel. 

"How large would you want them, 
sir?" 

"Twice that size." 

"May I ask for what purpose you 
require them, sir.^" 

"For lions," said the Colonel. 

"Precisely, handcuffs for lions; yes, 
you need large ones. I am afraid I 
have none in stock just now, but I can 
have them made for you within a few 
days." 

It was the same with almost every- 
thing the Colonel wanted to purchase; 
everything had to be made especially 
for him after his own description — 
handcuffs, collars, and belts, chains, 
branding-irons, a block and fall, muzzles 
of different sizes, corkscrew picket-pins 
for holding the turn of a rope, and a 
[13] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

nondescript article shaped like a huge 
pair of tongs, for which I feel sure there 
is no name in any trade, but which 
looked to be a handy implement for 
clamping the jaws of a beast. To have 
these things made according to specifica- 
tions took time and an endless amount 
of running about. Besides, there was 
the more ordinary part of the equip- 
ment to procure: English dogs, both 
fox-hounds and terriers, horse-blankets, 
extra ropes, horseshoes, and so on. 
When the last of the expedition sailed 
from Southampton there were forty- 
eight pieces of baggage on the list. 

This last contingent reached Nairobi 
at noon on March 3, and for the first 
time then all the members of the expedi- 
tion met together. Loveless proved to 
be a man a little below the medium 
height; he held himself very erect, walked 
with quick, energetic steps, and wore a 
[14] 



In Africa 

blond mustache. He made polite in- 
quiries as to our voyage out, commented 
on the hot weather, and fully explained 
the condition of the horses and dogs. 
Means was taller. He carried his head 
slightly forward and wore his black 
hair brushed low down over his forehead. 
He stood slumped on one hip, so that 
one shoulder also was lower than the 
other. 

"Please' to meet you," he said. 

On our arrival at Nairobi the first 
matter to be decided was the district 
to be worked. The choice lay between 
the Sotik and the Kapeti Plains. Ac- 
cording to the usual batch of contra- 
dictory stories in such cases, the game 
was said to be equally plentiful, or 
equally scarce, in both districts. Both 
had been shot over considerably of late, 
and, anyhow, no one could really tell us 
where the most game was to be found; 
[15] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

because, as one informant explained, the 
game everywhere shifted so frequently 
and so fast. But the Sotik and the 
country approaching it — the Kedong 
and Rift valleys, and the Mau — were 
reported to be more or less free from 
ticks, and, as the health of the horses 
was of the gravest importance to us, we 
determined to work this district first. 

The Colonel and his two cowboys, 
Loveless and Means, were ready to start 
at once. Eight out of the ten horses 
were in fine condition. With but one 
exception, the dogs had come through 
safely though all were suffering somewhat 
from distemper. It was concluded, how- 
ever, that they would recover just as 
rapidly in the open country as they 
would in Nairobi. 

Kearton and Gobbet were ready. 
Kearton had built a dark room in Nai- 
robi, because his earlier experience had 
[16] 



In Africa 

taught him that the pictures could not 
be developed with any degree of satis- 
faction in the field. His four special 
porters to carry the cameras and tri- 
pods — porters he had trained on pre- 
vious safaris — were only waiting for 
the word to move. Mr. Ray Ulyate, 
the white hunter to the expedition, had 
already gone to Kijabe to prepare his 
ox-wagons against our coming, and the 
Boma Trading Company had engaged a 
special train to leave Nairobi on the 
fifth. 

On the morning of that day we held 
the customary procession of an outgoing 
safari down the main street of Nairobi 
to the waiting train. The Colonel rode 
first, with the assorted pack of dogs at 
his horse's heels. Then came the cow- 
boys with the led horses; then the pic- 
ture department; then the long single 
line of black porters, bringing up the 
[17] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

rear. Above the loads on the porters' 
heads two flags flashed their colors in 
the sunlight — the stars and stripes, and 
the house flag of the company, with the 
white buffalo skull against the red back- 
ground, and underneath the motto. Sa- 
piens qui vigilat. 

The night had already fallen black and 
cold when the special train crested the 
top of the divide and coasted down grade 
into Kijabe. The most imposing struc- 
ture in the place is the railroad station, 
with its red wooden building propped 
up on piles, its tin guest-house alongside, 
and the neat gravel platform growing a 
clump of trees. The rest of JCijabe is 
composed of four other houses, the goods- 
shed, an open-faced Indian booth, the 
post-ofl5ce, and the water-tank. Ulyate 
met us with a lantern, for the station 
lights are dim, and we detrained in the 
face of the high wind that always blows 
[18] 



— In Africa 

there from sunset to dawn, and picketed 
the horses among the trees of the sta- 
tion platform. Because a large part of 
the revenue of th^^ country is derived 
from the visiting hunters, a safari is 
accorded prii^ileges out of the ordinary. 
So, as a matter of course, we took pos- 
session of the station and camped in the 
tin guest-house for the night. 

The morning came clear and hot and 
still. The railroad at Kijabe runs along 
the face of the hills, so that the land drops 
down abruptly to the plains below, and 
you can look away for miles over the 
Kedong and Rift valleys, with the two 
sentinel extinct volcanoes rising black 
against the heat-blurred sky. 

The floors of the valleys are laid with 
volcanic ash. But on first appearances 
the land looks much the same as the reg- 
ulation veldt or certain parts of our own 
Western plains. It is only by the fine- 
[19] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

ness of the dust that hangs about the 
horses' feet, and the pecuUar quality 
of the thirst that dries in the throat, 
that you know this is no ordinary soil. 

The sun was high in the heavens 
before we finally started from Kijabe 
and descended the rough road to the 
level ground, with the brakes on the ox- 
wagons squealing harshly and the horses 
treading silently in the dust. 

We had planned to camp at Sewell's 
Farm that night. It was only about 
four hours away, but a short trek the 
first day is always a good rule to follow. 
It gives every one a chance, so to speak, 
to shake down well into the saddle. 
We had gone but a short distance, how- 
ever, when one thing became strikingly 
apparent: Gobbet did not know how to 
ride! He was mounted on a white 
African pony that we had found it 
necessary to add to our string. The 
[201 



In Africa 

pony was stolid, lazy, and easy-gaited, 
but Gobbet's unfamiliar attitude toward 
his mount was unmistakable. 

Now it is a delicate matter in any 
country to broach the question of a 
man's horsemanship, but presently Gob- 
bet introduced the subject of his own 
accord. 

"Of course I can't ride a horse," he 
said. "Have never been on one before. 
When Mr. Kearton spoke to me about 
coming out here with him, he just asked 
me if I could ride, and I told him surely 
I could ride — but I didn't tell him I 
meant a bicycle." 

After all, the matter was of no great 
importance. Gobbet was young and 
thin and active, with sharp black eyes, 
and the work that lay ahead of us would 
probably teach him to ride in short 
order — and it did. 

We had little expectation of finding 
[21] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

either a lion or a rhino on that first day's 
trip. We were traveling on a regular 
road, making a kind of initial march. 
The fringe of scrub at the beginning of 
the valley had been left behind some 
three or four miles when Ulyate sud- 
denly reined in his horse and pointed 
to three black dots on the veldt about 
half a mile away. 

The black dots proved to be only 
wart-hogs, but we wanted them, and, so 
long as there was little chance of our 
finding any of the more important spe- 
cies of game, we took the opportunity 
that offered. The Colonel and the two 
cowboys tightened their cinches and then 
rode out to the westward to round up 
the beasts. 

"Drive 'em back to us," Kearton 
called after them, and Means waved his 
hand by way of answer. 

Behind us the line of porters was 
[22] 



In Africa 

coining up along the road. They were 
straggKng badly, broken up into little 
sections of threes and fours, so that 
the last of them were not yet in sight. 
Gobbet was sent back to hurry forward 
the four special porters with the cameras, 
and when these iSnally arrived upon the 
scene, their faces covered with dust and 
sweat, the horsemen had dwindled to 
dots only a little larger than the hogs 
themselves. 

Kearton placed the cameras a few 
yards apart, and there we waited, watch- 
ing the distant specks. 

Two of the riders disappeared into a 
far patch of scrub. The third, began 
swinging to the southward. His horse 
was galloping after something we could 
not see. 

In the meantime the safari was com- 
ing up, and as each section arrived it 
was halted, and the porters put down 
[23] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

their loads and sat on them. Some of 
them turned their backs upon the scene 
in total indifference as to what was com- 
ing next; others regarded the cameras 
with expressions of mild curiosity. 

Little by little the third horseman 
had swung round so that he was headed 
due east, riding straight at us. Rapidly 
the speck grew larger, and the two other 
riders came out of the scrub and joined 
the chase. 

Nearer and nearer they came, with 
the dust cloud swirling behind them. 
Gobbet began turning the handle of his 
camera, and the whir of the machine 
sounded loud in the stillness. One or 
two of the porters jumped to their feet 
and pointed. Kearton waited. 

"I hope they won't come straight into 

the lens," he said. "If they do, it won't 

make a good picture. They ought to 

come at an angle. So," he explained, 

[M] 



In Africa 

placing his hand obliquely to the line of 
focus. Then he bent over, laid his eye 
to the gun-sight of the machine, and 
likewise began turning. 

The thunder of the chase could be 
heard now, and we could see that it was 
Loveless leading, on his black, with 
Means and the Colonel close behind and 
the wart-hog some forty yards ahead. 
The beast was running strong. His huge 
snout was thrust forward, and his up- 
turned tusks gleamed in the sunlight. 
But gradually the black horse gained on 
him, and Loveless loosened the rope 
from his saddle and began swinging the 
long noose round and round his head. 

On came the wart-hog, straight for 
Kearton's camera. 

Kearton straightened up above the 
machine and waved his helmet fran- 
tically. 

"Give over, give over!" he shouted. 
[25] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

'* You're driving him right into the pic- 
ture. It's no good. Give over!" 

The chase never swerved an inch, and 
Kearton bent to his work again, cursing 
in well-selected periods. 

The next moment the hog drove past 
him. At the same instant Loveless 
threw his rope and caught the beast 
by one hind leg. The black horse 
stopped, fore feet planted firmly, and 
the dust cloud swept across and hid the 
scene. 

When the dust cleared away, the hog 
was lying across the road, blowing com- 
fortably, with the rope leading from his 
hind leg to the horn of Loveless's saddle. 
Loveless laughed. 

"There's the first one for you," he said. 
"'And my, can't he run!" 

Gobbet, however, was indignant. "It's 
no use," he complained. "To bring an 
object that way straight into the lens is 
[26] 



In Africa 

against the first principles of cinematog- 
raphy. It's no use, I tell you." 

Means sat half slumped in his saddle, 
with his reeking horse panting heavily. 

"Well, well, well," he finally drawled. 
"And didn't Mr. Pig come a-bending 
across that prairie? He most certainly 
come a-bending." 

The porters gathered around and 
looked long at the beast; some of them 
spoke a few words in low tones, and the 
others nodded their heads and smiled. 

Sometimes a wart-hog will act nasty, 
and his lower tusks are sharp as razors; 
but when this one was released he walked 
out of the circle of grinning natives, 
slowly, quietly, and apparently thor- 
oughly disgusted. 

At Sewell's Farm there is a pan of 

water made by a dam across an almost 

waterless brook, and alongside of this pan 

we pitched our camp. When the sun 

[271 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

set, the high wind rose again, whirHng up 
the dust in heavy clouds and sending the 
sparks from the fire scurrying over the 
ground. But the Kedong Valley wind is 
more or less a phenomenon of the coun- 
try. You can count upon it absolutely 
for every one of its disagreeable quali- 
ties. I think the citizens of Africa are a 
little proud of it. 

There was now a fair chance that on 
our way into the Rift Valley we should 
flush one or another of the larger animals. 
Preparations for such a contingency 
were accordingly made before starting 
from Sewell's Farm. Canteens and iron 
drums were filled with water, because 
the next camp would be a dry one. 
The cinematograph, cameras, and all 
the extra boxes had been loaded with 
films the evening before, and the four 
special camera porters were given strict 
orders to keep well up with the advance 
[28] 



I n Afric a 

of the safari. The hon-taming outfit — ■ 
the tongs, muzzles, chains, and collars 
— was stowed on the first wagon, on 
top of the load, where it could be got at 
readily in case of need. The Colonel 
rode ahead, with the two cowboys close 
behind, all three ropers mounted on their 
best horses — the Colonel on "the paint," 
Loveless on his black, and Means on the 
big-boned bay. Every member of the 
party was especially cautioned to keep 
a sharp lookout on both sides of the 
road. 

Just as the day before, the morning 
came hot and still, and for hour after 
hour the straggling safari crawled slowly 
over the long waves of the undulating 
veldt. The road was a wagon track 
always vanishing in front toward the 
head of the valley. The land lay silent 
beneath the glaring sunlight. 

We outspanned at noon for an hour. 
[29] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

Over the country here grew small, scat- 
tered thorn trees, thick with thorns but 
with scarcely any leaves, so that the 
shade beneath them was thin and could 
shelter no more than one horse. The 
water in the canteens, cold at the start, 
had become warm now. 

When we mounted again, the sweat 
had dried on the horses, and the boots 
felt stiff on our feet. The line of the 
road still stretched away its intermina- 
ble length until it disappeared in the 
distance. 

And then, as we crawled sleepily 
ahead over the rises, the Colonel was the 
first to notice the lion spoor in the dust. 

With sudden animation the safari 
awoke from the lethargy of the hot, 
monotonous march. The spoor was 
judged to i)e at least four hours old, so 
there was no use putting the dogs on it. 
Then presently it disappeared. On the 
[30] 



In Africa 

dead grass of the bordering veldt there 
was nothing to show which way the Hon 
had gone. But there was a chance — 
a small one, yet still a chance — that the 
beast was lying up near by in the shade 
of a thorn tree. So all the horsemen 
spread out over the veldt to obtain a 
wider scope of vision, and for mile after 
mile the company moved forward, sweep- 
ing the immediate country. 

Proceeding in this manner through 
the afternoon, we eventually crested a 
slightly higher rise and looked down 
into a shallow valley that was greener 
than the rest of the veldt. A few full- 
sized trees were growing in the bottom, 
and there were a number of outcroppings 
of rock. Large herds of antelope were 
grazing there. 

The Colonel called a halt. 

"There is no lion anywhere here- 
abouts," he said, "because the game are 
[31] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

grazing peacefully. But there is a bunch 
of eland yonder. We might as well round 
them up while the light lasts." 

The plan of operation was quickly 
made. The cameras were stationed 
about a mile to the southeast, partly 
concealed by the bole of a tree, and the 
bunch of eland were skilfully rounded 
up and a good specimen was singled out. 

Everything was working to perfection. 
The three horsemen drove the eland 
toward the cameras — not directly at 
them, but a little to one side, at an 
angle, as Kearton wanted it done. At 
the proper moment Loveless roped the 
animal by the forelegs and neck, and 
threw it down. Loveless jumped from 
his horse and w^as running forward to tie 
the prize when something — the smell 
of the strange beast, perhaps — started 
the black horse bucking. With the rope 
made fast to the saddle and the eland 
[32] 



In Africa 

acting as a pivot, the black went career- 
ing round and round. Both the Colonel 
and Means tried to rope him, and missed, 
and finally Loveless, on foot, caught him 
by the dangling reins. 

Of course such a thing might have 
been readily foreseen, but somehow it 
came as a surprise and opened up grave 
possibilities. That night in camp at 
"Rugged Rocks" we were gathered about 
the cook's fire for the warmth it gave, 
when the Colonel spoke of the affair. 

"Everything was going great till that 
horse started bucking," the Colonel re- 
marked. "We've got to teach our horses 
not to mind the smell of these strange 
animals out here. We've got to be able 
to depend absolutely on our horses. Of 
course that eland wasn't dangerous. 
But when we tackle something else and 
a horse acts that way, it might be bad." 

But Gobbet said it was good action, 
[33] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

anyway, and would look fine when thrown 
on the screen. 

March 8 was a day of disappoint- 
ments. Between sunrise and sunset we 
traveled fifteen miles to the Wangai 
River and hunted in turn a pair of lions, 
a cheetah, and a rhinoceros — and lost 
them all. Two circumstances were held 
accountable: one was the necessity of 
getting the horses to water, and the other 
was the fact that it was just a bad luck 
day all through. 

We came upon the lions early in the 
morning, close to the base of the south- 
ern volcano. This particular pair of 
lions must have been shot over at one 
time or another, for they did not wait 
to satisfy any curiosity as to our inten- 
tions, but fled at once for the safety of 
the mountain. Although we gave chase 
immediately, their lead was so great, 
and the distance to the mountains so 
[34] 



In Africa 

short, that they were soon lost to us in 
the guUies and crevices of the foothills. 

It was while we were trying to pick 
up the lost trail of the lions that we 
flushed a cheetah out of one of the don- 
gas.^ It broke away along the foothills, 
and finally stopped at bay in a district 
where the "going" was so bad for the 
horses that we had to give up the attempt. 

With the rhinoceros we had scarcely 
any chance whatsoever. The Colonel, 
who was scouting the country to the 
northward of the line of march, caught 
a glimpse of the beast in the adjacent 
valley. By the time he had come back 
to get us and we had ridden in pursuit, 
the rhino had disappeared. 

We found his trail leading still farther 
to the northward, and dismounted and 
looked down at it in silence. No com- 
ments were made. No comments were 

^ Donga, a gully. 

[35] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

necessary. Every one knew that for 
lack of water the horses were too done 
up to follow. 

Means had dismounted a little to one 
side of the group, and for a while he stood 
there with his arms resting on his saddle, 
gazing back over the way we had come. 
Presently he remarked to the world at 
large: ''Excitement has certainly been 
runnin' high all day." We mounted 
then; and, instead of hunting the rhino 
farther, we rode the jaded horses slowly 
into camp and put a proper finish to a 
bad luck day by holding a consultation. 

The Wangai River is no river at all; 
merely a small spring in the shadow of 
the range that crosses the head of the 
valley. But the spring could supply 
suflficient water for all our needs. Also, 
the problem of transportation demanded 
that Ulyate should return to Kijabe and 
bring up another wagon with supplies 
[36] 



In Africa 

before the journey over the Mau into 
the Sotik could be undertaken. Then, 
too, here in the Rift Valley we had seen 
both lion and rhino, and there was always 
the chance of finding them again. The 
consultation resulted in the decision to 
make a permanent camp here and hunt 
the neighboring country until Ulyate 
should return. 

For the succeeding three days the 
Colonel laid out a plan of campaign; 
simple, but effective, and limited only 
by the necessity of keeping within rea- 
sonable distance of the water. The plan 
consisted of a series of drives; one in a 
northeasterly, one in an easterly, and 
one in a southeasterly direction. By 
this means we would cover in turn all 
territory at the head of the valley. 

The Colonel was anxious to try again 
for the rhino he had seen on the march 
the day before, and for this reason the 
[37] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

drive to the northeast was inaugurated 
first. Every member of the expedition 
took part in these drives. The Colonel 
and the writer at one end, and the two 
cowboys at the other, occupied the ex- 
treme positions. Between the right and 
left wings stretched a long line of por- 
ters, under the command of two esearis, 
and with Kearton and Gobbet in the 
center with the cameras. The dogs on 
leash and the saises carrying water for 
the horses brought up the rear. When 
finally formed, the line of the drive ex- 
tended approximately five miles, and the 
cameras and the dogs were so placed 
that they could be brought to either end 
of the line with the utmost despatch. 
Two shots fired in quick succession 
would be the signal to gather. 

That first day's drive brought little 
success. To begin with, we were late 
in starting, so that the sun had already 
[38] 



In Africa 

risen before we moved out of camp; and 
besides, the porters were new at that 
kind of work and had to be halted and 
reformed many times before they under- 
stood what was wanted. 

The land across which we were driv- 
ing lay at the very edge of the valley, 
and was consequently somewhat broken 
into small hills and hollows. By the 
time we came to the old rhino trail, the 
day was well advanced. But no fresh 
tracks were to be found up and down the 
entire length of the hollow, nor was any- 
thing to be seen of the beast from the 
next hill to the northward, which we 
climbed to search the country ahead. 
There was only a large herd of harte- 
beests grazing on the plains below. 

The Colonel retreated half-way down 

the hill and fired two shots from his 

revolver. Somewhere beyond our range 

of vision we heard the two shots repeated, 

[39] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

and at the end of a little more than half 
an hour all the members of the drive were 
gathered on the hillside below the crest. 

Then the Colonel explained the reason 
for his signal. The rhino was not there. 
We might still find him, and we might 
not. The chances were now that we 
should not. He had probably left the 
country for good and was already miles 
away. In the meanwhile a good oppor- 
tunity offered for rounding up the herd 
of hartebeests in the plain below and 
driving them up the hillside to the 
cameras. 

On top of the hill was a small clearing, 
the edges of which were fringed with 
scrub. While the Colonel and the cow- 
boys maneuvered to circle the herd, 
Kearton placed the cameras in the clear- 
ing, with the northern line of scrub as a 
background for the intended picture. 

For a long time there was silence. 
[40] 



In Africa 

Then suddenly the scrub sprang into 
Hfe, and the next instant the herd dashed 
into the clearing in a cloud of dust that 
was pierced by a hundred startled eyes 
and tossing horns. At the sight of the 
cameras the herd broke and scattered 
in every direction; but the horsemen, 
pressing them close, roped one in the 
open, and held him to have his picture 
taken, and then let him go. 

On the second drive, over the lowland 
to the east, the porters worked better; 
but, although we covered a far greater 
territory, the total result was the roping 
and photographing of a serval-cat that 
we flushed on the way back to camp. 

The third drive carried us well out 
toward the southern volcano where we 
had seen the lions on the march from 
Rugged Rocks, but this time there was 
no trace of them anywhere in the land. 
Means, however, found a cheetah, and 
[41] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

the two faint reports of his signal brought 
us together on the run. 

We came upon Means seated on his 
horse in a bit of the veldt that was 
covered all over with tufts of rank 
grass, so that it looked like a swamp 
that had been dry for ages. Near by 
ran a small shallow donga. 

When the rest of us rode up to him, 
he merely pointed at one of the tufts 
of grass behind which the cheetah lay 
crouched. 

There followed a brief delay, while a 
plan of maneuver was made and ex- 
pounded, while the tripods were set up, 
the cameras screwed on, and the ropers 
moved out to their appointed places. 

Then all at once the cheetah started, 
and, instead of breaking away, as we 
had calculated he would, he doubled on 
his tracks and made for the shelter of 
the donga. It was a quick, sharp race 
[42] 



In Africa 

— and the cheetah won. He hid in the 
scrub at the bottom of the ditch. The 
native porters collected there and com- 
placently regarded the scene, and the 
members of the drive ranged themselves 
on either bank and offered innumerable 
suggestions as to what had better be 
done next. 

But in the midst of it all the Colonel 
put an emphatic end to the discussion. 
He rode into the donga with his rope 
swinging free, and when the cheetah 
failed to spring at him, he dropped the 
noose over the animal's head, and 
dragged him out on to the open veldt, 
where his picture could be properly 
taken. 

The black porters looking on com- 
menced speaking in low tones in their 
native tongue, and nodded and grinned 
at each other as they had done before. 
But this time Mac was among them. 
[43] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

Mac was Kearton's tent-boy. He orig- 
inally came from Somaliland and spoke 
English. He was called upon to explain 
what the porters said. 

"Please," he began. "They are very 
bad men, these people, but don't be 
sorry. They say — they say that, of 
course, the white gentlemen are able to 
do what they want to do, but just the 
same they are all crazy." 

That night we held our second con- 
sultation. Ulyate had returned from 
Kijabe with the extra wagon-load of 
supplies, which placed us in a position 
to move again immediately. The ques* 
tion now arose as to whether it would 
be best to remain where we were a few 
days longer to gain more experience, or 
to trek at once over the Mau, with a 
chance at giraffe on the way, and so on 
into the Sotik country, with its alluring 
promises of both rhino and lion. 
[44] 



In Africa 

By this time we had hunted the Rift 
Valley thoroughly. During the seven 
days since we had left Kijabe, the expe- 
dition had roped and photographed a 
cheetah, a serval-cat, a hartebeest, an 
eland, and a wart-hog. Although we had 
been given no opportunity yet to find 
out how we were going to hold a rhino 
or what we would do when the lion 
charged, still, in addition to our success 
with the lesser animals, we had acquired 
something else of value. All the mem- 
bers of the expedition had learned to 
work well together — in all the usual 
emergencies each man knew what was 
expected of him and could likewise make 
a ready guess as to what the others 
intended doing. Thus, in spite of the 
fact that on an expedition of this kind it 
is the unexpected that always happens, 
our experience only added to our confi- 
dence that when we eventually encoun- 
[45] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

tered one of the larger beasts we should 
get him. 

The consultation ended with the unani- 
mous decision to start for the Sotik at 
dawn. 



[46] 



PART TWO 



PART TWO 

SOMEHOW everything seemed to 
happen on moving day with the 
Buffalo Jones Expedition in East 
Africa. Exactly why this should have 
been it is impossible to tell. Perhaps 
the reason may be found in the fact 
that a considerable part of our time 
was occupied in moving. No doubt the 
circumstance could be traced to some 
such perfectly reasonable cause. But we 
chose to look upon it otherwise. 

When an outfit like ours has been work- 
ing for a while in the open country — 
especially when the undertaking has no 
precedent and the outcome is decidedly 
uncertain — the little happenings of each 
day gradually grow to have a peculiar 
significance of their own, and finally a 
[49] 



L a cV .V i n g W i J d A n i m a I s 

brand-new sot of superstitions is formed 
and half-jokingly believed in by every 
one concerned. In this way an expedi- 
tion conies to be regarded as lucky or 
unlucky, or lucky on certain days, or 
at certain hours of the day, or at cer- 
tain periods of the moon. The wide 
reaches of the African veldt have some- 
thing to do with it, perhaps. 

These superstitions are temporary, 
local, and often purely personal atfairs. 
Means, being a cowboy, believed that 
when he rode his big-boned bay the drive 
would be successful. The native dogboy 
insisted that when the long-eared blood- 
hound and the little white terrier were 
coupled together on the march, the rest 
of the pack would come through without 
mishap. Loveless swore by a particular 
piece of rope, and ^lac — which is short 
for Mohammed — discovered propitious 
omens on every conceivable occasion, 
f 50 1 



In Africa 

It was on the first day's march into 
the Kedong Valley that we had roped 
the wart-hog. On the journey from 
SewelFs Farm to Rugged Rocks we had 
rounded up and photographed the eland. 
Again, it was on the trek of March 8 to 
the Wangai River that we had caught 
our only glimpses of rhinoceros and lion 
— faint chances of making a capture, but 
still chances, and better than no signs at 
all. 

And thus, merely because it had 
turned out so in the past, every mem- 
ber of the expedition had come to enter- 
tain a semi-serious belief that something 
momentous was bound to happen on 
moving day. 

A general feeling of expectancy per- 
vaded the entire safari when we broke 
camp at the Wangai River at dawn of 
a hazy morning. The sky was clear of 
clouds, but behind the hills of the Mau 
[51] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

escarpment a veldt fire had been burn- 
ing for several days, so that a veil of 
smoke was seen hanging in the air as 
the dawn broadened into day. The 
smell of the burning veldt and the 
nearness of the fire lent an oppressive 
warmth to the still morning. 

"You two boys had better carry your 
heavy ropes," the Colonel said at start- 
ing. "We might meet something." 

We had finished with the Kedong and 
Rift valleys. We had hunted every cor- 
ner of the district within striking distance 
of the water. And we had had success of 
a kind. Cheetah, eland, hartebeest, and 
serval-cat we had roped and tied and 
photographed. But the really big game 
had so far escaped us. For this reason 
we had decided to take the road over the 
Mau, where the smoke haze hung heavy, 
and so on into the Sotik country, where 
both lion and rhino were said to abound. 
[52] 



I n Africa 

For the first ten miles of the march 
our way led across untraveled country, 
toward the two deep ruts in the veldt 
that were known as the wagon road. 
We had an extra ox-wagon with us now, 
in charge of Mr. Curry, an Africander, 
who lived with his partner on a farm on 
the border of the Sotik, and who on his 
return journey home with his wagon had 
agreed to help us carry supplies. Curry 
was slight and round-shouldered, with 
light yellow hair. His face was burned 
a bright red, excepting his nose, which 
was white where the skin was peeling. 
He had a peculiar, slow, drawling way of 
talking — when he talked at all, which was 
seldom. Being an inhabitant of the dis- 
trict into which we were going, he was 
naturally subjected at first to a number of 
questions in regard to the big game there. 

"Plenty of rhino in your part of the 
world, I suppose?" 

[53] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

"Y — as," drawled Curry. 

"And lion, too, I imagine?" 

"Y— as." 

"Ought to get some giraffe on the 
way, hadn't we?" 

"Y— as." 

"Rhino pretty scarce just now, though, 
aren't they?" 

"Y — as," Curry answered placidly. 

Thus it soon became apparent that 
Curry's chief ambition was to agree 
pleasantly with whatever anybody said, 
which tended to discredit any informa- 
tion he had to impart. So, as a matter 
of course, the questions ceased, and 
when no more were asked him Curry's 
conversation ceased also. 

It was rough going for the ox-wagons 
those first ten miles, and they made slow 
time of it along the base of the hills. 
According to our custom on the march 
the Colonel and the two cowboys, the 
[54] 



In Afric a 

picture department (composed of Kear- 
ton and Gobbet), and Ulyate (the white 
hunter) and myself rode in a widely 
extended line in front of the safari, 
sweeping the country for game. It was 
hot at the base of the hills — so hot 
that when your bridle hand dropped 
inadvertently to the pommel of the 
saddle, the brass mounting there seemed 
to burn you. Not a breath of air was 
stirring, and the sun shone down blaz- 
ing through the wisps of smoke haze, 
and the heat waves rose from the dead, 
parched veldt so that the distant south- 
ern volcano looked all quivering. 

Then from out the blurred vista in 
front little by little a clump of compara- 
tively large trees began to take definite 
shape. Another half mile farther, and 
we saw that something was moving 
among the trees as high up as the top- 
most branches. ^ 
[55] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

''Giraffe," said Ulyate, and no sooner 
had he spoken the word than the great 
towering animals wheeled and fled from 
their shelter with that long-legged gallop 
of theirs which looks so easy and slow, 
but which carries them over the ground 
as fast as a speedy horse can run. 

The Colonel and the two cowboys set 
off at a hand gallop in a vain attempt 
to round them up and drive them back 
to the cameras. The race was a hope- 
less one for the horsemen from the start. 
But, according to the general method of 
operations adopted by the Colonel from 
the very beginning, no chance of a cap- 
ture, however slim it might appear, was 
to remain untried so long as men and 
horses could endure. 

The two ruts of the wagon road led 
close by the grove of trees, and when the 
rest of us reached this spot and dis- 
mounted to await results, the three 
[56] 



I n Afr i c a 

leading horsemen had disappeared long 
ago into the scrub-grown country to the 
south. 

As noon approached, the heat became 
more and more oppressive. The cam- 
eras had been screwed to the tripods 
and covered with our coats to protect 
them from the sun. The horses grazed 
near by. Mac was sent up one of the 
trees to warn us of the approach of any- 
thing hke a giraffe, and the rest of us 
sat on the ground round the bole in the 
small circle of thin shade and lazily 
watched the black ants always crawling 
and climbing and zigzagging back and 
forth over the network of fallen twigs 
and leaves. It was too hot to talk — it 
was too hot to sleep or think. And by 
and by the ox-wagons came up, and the 
oxen brought the flies. For a time then 
the only sounds were the slow crunching 
of the feeding horses and an occasional 
[57] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

inarticulate snarl from some one or other 
who foolishly tried to brush the flies 
away from his face. 

Eventually, after a long time had 
passed, Means rode into the grove of 
trees, unheralded by Mac and alone. 
The bay horse had fallen badly, wrench- 
ing his rider's back where once he had 
been hurt before. Means took his sad- 
dle off, threw it on the ground, and sat 
on it. 

"He dropped into a pig hole," he 
explained, ''an' hopped out again as 
neat as could be. But in hoppin' out 
he hopped into another, an' that just 
naturally discouraged him an' he come 
down with me." 

No comments were made, nor did 
Means expect any. But evidently he 
had considered it only justice to the bay 
that the mishap should receive from him 
the proper explanation. 
[58] 



In Africa 

Then Loveless returned, also alone. 
He made a few grumbling remarks about 
its being all nonsense to run the horses 
to death when there was no chance at 
all. But as his listeners showed not the 
slightest interest in the matter, he, too, 
relapsed into silence. 

The Colonel was the last to come in. 
He rode straight to the tree where the 
company were gathered, dismounted, and 
sat down. Then he spoke to the world 
at large. 

"They must be about here some- 
where," he said. " And being about 
here somewhere, we'll get 'em yet." 

When the shadow beneath the tree 
began to lengthen toward the east, the 
safari shook itself together and prepared 
to move on once more. But this time, 
instead of occupying his customary posi- 
tion at the head of the column, the 
Colonel lagged behind. 
[59] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

Immediately after leaving the grove 
of trees, the road commenced to climb 
the first rises of the Mau escarpment. 
As we mounted higher up the hillside, 
the view behind us opened out into a 
grand panorama of the two valleys and 
their sentinel volcanoes, with the smoke 
haze hanging over all. For a time, 
those of us who were in front rode half 
sideways in the saddle, looking back 
over the way we had come and over the 
district we had grown to know so well. 
Then we crossed a small, level park that 
formed the crest of the first hill, and as 
we moved down the western slope the 
view behind us disappeared and the new 
country spread before us. 

Kearton was riding with his head sunk 
on his chest like a sick man. Gobbet 
asked if anything was wrong with him. 

*' Nothing bad; too much heat this 
morning, likely." 

[60] 



I n Afric a 

"Want to hunt up a bit of shade and 
lie up awhile?" 

"No, I'll go on." 

Gobbet shrugged his shoulders. 
"You're the judge," he said. 

Hill after hill stretched away in front 
to the one upstanding kopje that marked 
the top of the Mau. The district was 
wooded with small, twisted trees, and 
the fire had crossed here, so that the 
ground was black and the air smelled 
stronger of burning. 

Presently Means stopped. "I'd bet- 
ter wait till the Colonel comes along," 
he explained. "The Colonel don't carry 
any weapons." 

Loveless stopped with him, and, as 
Ulyate was somewhere behind with the 
ox- wagons and porters, this left Kear- 
ton. Gobbet, and myself to ride on by 
ourselves. For a mile or more the road 
lifted and dipped with monotonous reg- 
[61] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

ularity, and the burnt land was still on 
either hand, without a sign of life any- 
where to be seen. So when the sun 
really began to decline toward the west, 
Gobbet, who had once been assistant 
manager of the Alhambra Music Hall 
in Brighton, told the story of Harry 
Lauder and the liquid-air biscuits, and 
it seemed to do Kearton good. Kearton 
had just told Gobbet to quit his lying, 
when all three of us realized that for the 
last half minute we had been uncon- 
sciously listening to the beat of a gallop- 
ing horse on the road behind. 

The next instant Ulyate pulled up in 
a cloud of dust. 

"Colonel wants you," he said. 
"They've rounded up a giraffe." 

We wheeled the horses and started 
back on the run. 

' ' About — three — miles ! Left — of the 
— road!" Ulyate shouted after us. 
[62] 



In Africa 

There were various reasons that called 
for haste. How long the ropers could 
keep the giraffe rounded up was espe- 
cially uncertain, and then, besides, it 
was near the end of the day and soon 
the light would be too far gone for a 
picture. 

We met the line of porters and they 
scattered right and left. Farther on, 
the ox-teams crowded one side to give 
us room. Then we came upon the four 
special porters with the cameras. Kear- 
ton took his machine on the saddle with 
him, and Gobbet caught up the tripod 
from another pair of outstretched arms. 

When we reached the bit of clearing 
and looked to the left of the road, we saw 
the long neck and head of a giraffe 
sharply outlined against the sky. 

The giraffe stood motionless. His feet 
were spread a little apart as though he 
was prepared to dash away again at the 
[63] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

first opportunity, and he gazed in a curi- 
ous way first at one, then at another of 
the three ropers that surrounded him 
and now sat their horses, waiting. 
There was still enough light left for a 
picture, but Kearton was nearly done. 

"Give him a minute's breather," said 
the Colonel. "We'll hold the critter 
till he's ready. 

We took Kearton off his horse and 
stretched him on the ground and poured 
the lukewarm water from a canteen on 
his head. Meanwhile Gobbet screwed 
the camera to the tripod and set it up. 

By the time Gobbet had finished, 
Kearton was on his feet again. From 
his position near by, Means ventured 
the opinion that it was too much excite- 
ment that had knocked him over, and 
Kearton swore back at him pleasantly 
and went to work. 

A high-pitched yell from the Colonel 
[64] 



In Africa 

sent the giraffe away across the open 
with that clumsy-looking, powerful gal- 
lop that is all his own, and with his long 
neck plunging slowly back and forth. 

Loveless 's black, one of the fastest 
horses in the string, had hard work to 
gain on the giraffe, especially as the 
animal swerved quickly at the last mo- 
ment and fled down the eastern slope of 
the hill through the scrub where the 
going was none too good. 

It was a difficult throw — and a new 
one for a Western cowboy — to send the 
noose so far up into the air over the head 
perched high on the long, swaying neck. 

But at the first attempt Loveless suc- 
ceeded, and then reined in gently so as 
not to throw the beast, because a giraffe 
would fall heavily, and would very likely 
break his neck or a leg if tumbled over. 

Finally he was brought to a standstill, 
his feet spread apart as before, and for a 
[65] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

while the two stood facing each other 
— the cowboy and the towering giraffe, 
with the rope from the saddle horn lead- 
ing up at a considerable angle to the 
shoulders of the prize. The rest of 
the hunt soon gathered about them. 
Although the light was rapidly failing, 
Kearton finished what was left of his 
roll of film. The whir of the camera 
ended with a peculiar flapping sound. 

"That's all," said Kearton, and sank 
down on a near-by stone. 

But Loveless and the giraffe contin- 
ued to face each other undisturbed. 

"Well?" said Loveless, presently. 

"Well?" echoed the Colonel. 

"Well, how are we going to take this 
rope off him? We've got none to spare, 
you know." 

"Get a ladder," suggested Means. 

"No, we won't need a ladder," said 
the Colonel seriously; "but we'll have 
[66] 



I n Afric a 

to throw him, after all. We can do it 
gently, I guess, without hurting him." 

Accordingly Means roped the giraffe 
by one hind leg and pulled it out from 
under him, so that he sank easily to 
the ground and both the ropes were 
loosened and freed. 

The sun had set and the short twi- 
light was rapidly deepening. The ox- 
wagons and porters were several miles 
ahead. So we packed up the camera, 
coiled up the ropes, mounted, and rode 
away, and the giraffe raised himself on 
his haunches among the bushes and 
watched us go. 

We camped at a water hole that night, 
and started on again the next morning 
in the darkness before the dawn, with a 
porter ahead carrying a lantern to show 
the way. With ox- wagons it is a three- 
days' journey from that water hole to the 
Guas Nyiro River at the border of the 
[67] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

Sotik. The country through which we 
passed continued to be the same as that 
of the Mau escarpment — a succession of 
low hills and shallow valleys covered with 
the small, twisted trees. And there was 
plenty of water on the way. But there 
was no game in the district. 

We had been told before starting that 
we need not expect to see anything on 
the way, because antelope, zebra, and 
such like animals avoid the wooded sec- 
tion so as not to be caught unaware by 
lions, and, since the prey seek the safety 
of the open plains, the lions are com- 
pelled to follow. 

In spite of this fact, and although the 
dense woods and broken ground generally 
forced the safari to keep to the road, the 
cowboys were always ready and the cam- 
eras always loaded with film. But the 
land on either side remained silent and 
deserted. 

[68] 



In Africa 

And each day's journey was the same 
as the one before; the start in the gray 
of the morning, the long, hot ride, with 
the road gently rising and falling over 
the hills, and the sudden cool of the 
evening when the sun went down. At 
times the camera department would take 
moving pictures of the wagons and por- 
ters crossing a river, where an especially 
picturesque bit of scenery offered an 
attractive setting. Occasionally Means, 
as he rode along, would commence sing- 
ing one of the songs of our Western 
plains, verse after verse, seemingly with- 
out end, recounting in detail some local 
historical event, such as an Indian attack 
on an army post, a shooting affair at a 
dance, or a train-robber's hanging. He 
would sing more to himself than to any- 
body else, and if this began to bore him 
at all, he would stop in the middle and 
leave the story untold. 
[69] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

Then sometimes, when we outspanned 
for an hour at noon, the four special 
camera porters would give imitations of 
Kearton and Gobbet taking pictures, of 
Loveless shoeing horses, or of Means 
in the act of roping. And in the eve- 
nings, when the day's march was done 
and the outpost fires had been lighted, 
the talk of the company would turn to 
our chances of finding luck in the Sotik 
country that lay ahead. 

In the afternoon of March 16 we 
reached Webb's Farm, in the Guas 
Nyiro Valley, which lies at the edge 
of the big plains. In this neighbor- 
hood there were three farms — Webb's, 
Curry's, and Agate's — and on the even- 
ing of our arrival some of their men 
paid a visit to the camp. They had 
heard of the expedition, and each in 
turn examined the horses, the dogs, the 
ropes, and the saddles, and then, like the 
[70] 



In Africa 

hunters at Nairobi, asked the inevitable 
question : 

"But how are you going to do it?" 

"Oh, we'll do it somehow," the Colonel 
replied good-naturedly. And the visitors 
shook their heads a little and smiled and 
changed the subject. 

But to attempt to rope a rhinoceros or 
a lion required fresh horses, and ever since 
we had left Nairobi, nearly a fortnight 
ago, we had worked our horses hard every 
day. Now that we had reached the land 
of the big game, the Colonel for the first 
time called a day of rest. So we loafed 
about camp from sunrise to sunset and 
by evening were heartily sick of it all. 

Perhaps we had expected too much of 
this Sotik country ; perhaps the expedition 
was running, temporarily, in a streak of 
bad luck; but the fact remains that when 
we resumed hunting on March 18, disap- 
pointment only followed disappointment. 
[71] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

As we had done in the Rift Valley, so 
here we adopted the method of sweeping 
the country with a widely extended line. 
The first day we rode far to the south- 
ward, to the Hot Springs and back, 
and found nothing, and an unreasoning 
depression settled upon the expedition. 
The next day we rode still farther, to the 
westward this time, and again found 
nothing, and so the depression deepened. 
Also on the afternoon of this day it 
rained heavily, and Curry agreed with 
Ulyate that this probably meant the be- 
ginning of the rainy season, which was 
already overdue. 

That night at the supper table the 
Colonel spoke his mind. The rain was 
dripping through the canvas fly over- 
head, and the Colonel wore his broad- 
brimmed hat to help keep the water 
oflf his plate. 

"There's no use hanging round here 
[72] 



In Africa 

any longer," he said; "not a bit of use. 
We haven't seen anything, nor a sign of 
anything. When the rains begin in ear- 
nest, this ground will soften fast an' the 
horses will get bogged an' we'll have to 
quit. So from now on we've got to 
work fast. Now Ulyate says there's 
water about twelve miles from here to 
the north — called the Soda Swamp. 
We'll start for the Soda Swamp in the 
morning." 

Again it was moving day. The morn- 
ing dawned fine after the rain, and the 
air was clear, and the country looked 
greener and fresher than it had ever 
looked before. By the time the sun 
rose, the first wagon was packed, so the 
safari set out on the journey, leaving 
the second wagon to load and follow 
our tracks, for there was no road to 
the Soda Swamp. 

At the last moment the Colonel de- 
[73] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

cided that he and the cowboys might 
just as well make a circuit to the wei^t- 
ward of the line of march on the off 
chance of finding game. 

"We covered that district pretty thor- 
oughly yesterday," he said. "But still, 
you never can tell." 

Yet nobody thought it worth while for 
the camera department to go with them, 
and so Kearton and Gobbet and the four 
special porters trailed along with the 
slow, plodding wagon. In the first place, 
the wagons would follow the shortest 
route and the horses would be none the 
worse for an easy day; in the second, 
if by the remotest chance the Colonel 
flushed anything worth while, he could 
more easily find the cameras. 

Curry had remained behind to bring 

on the second load, and soon Ulyate left 

us to make a detour past Agate's Farm 

to procure another sack of rice that was 

[741 



I n Afr i c a 

badly needed. Ours was a large safari, 
and the details of transportation re- 
quired close attention. 

The morning wore on. The sky re- 
mained clear and the heat became intense. 
The direction in which we were travel- 
ing led us along the border of the 
plains, through small green parks, scat- 
tered groves of trees, and scrub. 

So far as the mounted men were con- 
cerned, the march was a succession of 
rides and halts. The heavily laden ox- 
wagon traveled slowly, and it soon 
became our custom to dismount in a bit 
of shade and let the wagon pass ahead 
about a mile, when we would mount 
again and catch up with it and then 
repeat the process. 

At one of these places there was a 
grass-grown mound against which we 
sat, leaning comfortably, and specu- 
lated on the distance we had come 
[75] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

and the distance we had to go. When, 
after a while, it became evident that we 
should never agree in the matter, the 
conversation altered to a sort of spas- 
modic affair. 

"I thought this district was so full 
of big game that you couldn't sleep at 
night for the lions roaring around you," 
Gobbet remarked lazily. 

"Wait till you get among them," said 
Kearton. " Sais, keep that horse far- 
ther away; he'll be walking on us next." 

"Well, I haven't been kept awake 
any yet," Gobbet replied. 

"I wonder where that wagon's got 
to," and Kearton raised himself on one 
elbow and peered ahead from beneath 
the down-tilted brim of his helmet. 
Then he lay back again and shut his 
eyes. 

"Means is coming," he said. 

The announcement occasioned no sur- 
[76] 



In Africa 

prise. Undoubtedly Means had some 
reason for returning over the trail, and 
when he reached the mound we should 
probably learn what he wanted. 

Means dismounted and sat down 
beside us. "We've found a rhino over 
in the next valley yonder," he remarked, 
and nodded his head toward the west. 

"A rhino is no matter to joke about," 
said Gobbet. *' Please remember that in 
the future." 

"I'm not jokin'," said Means. "Colo- 
nel's watchin' him. Loveless stopped 
half-way here, about three miles off. 
Colonel sent me to bring the rest of 
you and get the heavy rope." 

"Is that right, Means.?" Kearton 
asked sharply. 

"Sure." 

"Come on, then." 

In five minutes we had overtaken the 
wagon and stopped it, and while Means 
[77] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

clambered up on to the load to hunt for 
the heavy rope, Kearton collected the 
camera porters and started ahead with 
them in the direction Means pointed out. 

But Means could not find the rope 
he wanted. He threw off half the load 
without success. 

"It's on the other wagon. There's 
where it is," he finally concluded. "No 
time to wait now. Other wagon likely 
hasn't started yet. We'll have to do 
with what we've got." 

We rode on at an easy jog to keep the 
horses fresh, and at the end of half an 
hour we came upon Loveless waiting for 
us just beneath the crest of a rise. He 
had off-saddled his horse and had turned 
him loose to graze a bit before the com- 
ing work, and a few minutes were occu- 
pied while Loveless saddled up again and 
Kearton and Gobbet adjusted their cam- 
eras and took them on their horses. 
[781 



In Africa 

Finally every one was ready, and we 
set forth once more on a wide detour to 
the north to approach the beast from 
down the wind. 

Loveless gave us the latest news: 
"The Colonel came over the rise a half 
hour ago and said the rhino was laying 
down resting quiet. The Colonel went 
back again at once to keep watch." 

As we proceeded farther on the cir- 
cuit and began to ride down the gentle 
slope into the adjacent valley, we slowed 
down the pace to a cautious walk. No 
one spoke, and on the grass of the veldt 
the tread of the horses made scarcely 
any sound. 

Suddenly the Colonel appeared, walk- 
ing toward us, bent low. He had backed 
out of his hiding-place behind a clump 
of scrub. 

"He's laying down over there about 
a hundred yards away," he whispered. 
[79] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

"Now we want to catch the start of the 
show. You boys ready?" 

Means tightened his cinch, and shook 
his rope loose and coiled it up again. 
Loveless said he was ready. One of 
the saises produced the Colonel's horse 
from behind another clump of scrub, and 
Kearton dismounted and began creep- 
ing forward with his camera. 

"Don't start him up till I get my 
position," he cautioned. "I'll wave my 
hand." 

On account of the growth of low 
bushes we could not see the rhino, but 
in silence we watched Kearton tiptoeing 
farther and farther ahead toward the 
spot where the Colonel had said the 
beast was lying down. The time was 
approximately a little after noon. The 
wind that was blowing was light, and 
came to us hot over the sunny reaches of 
veldt. The sky was cloudless. 
[80] 



In Africa 

Then the three ropers commenced ma- 
neuvering forward, swinging out a little 
to the right. Kearton stopped. He set 
up his camera and sighted it, and took 
out his handkerchief and carefully wiped 
the lens. 

When Kearton waved his hand, the 
Colonel's yell shattered the stillness and 
the great beast heaved up out of the grass 
and tossed his head and sniffed the air, 
and snorted. The horsemen rode full 
tilt at him, and with surprising quickness 
the rhino wheeled and broke away south 
down the valley. 

For a good three miles the rhino ran 
straight and fast. Finally he came into 
more open country, which was dotted 
here and there with small thorn trees. 
Here, also, in one place there was a fair- 
sized pool of water, left over from the 
rains of the night before. The rhino 
selected this pool as a good position 
[81] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

from which to act on the defensive. He 
splashed into the water, stopped, and 
faced the horsemen. 

Then followed a few minutes' respite 
for all concerned. The horses were pant- 
ing heavily after the sharp run, and the 
rhino's position in the pool rendered it 
diflScult to approach him for a chance 
to throw a rope. Evidently considering 
himself safe for the moment, the beast 
rolled once or twice in the water and then 
stood on guard as before, but with his 
black sides dripping. 

"We've got to get him out of that," 
said the Colonel. "A horse wouldn't 
stand a show there. Now when I get 
him to charge me, you boys stand by." 

Before the Colonel finished speaking, 
he was already edging toward the pool. 
For fifteen yards the rhino watched him 
coming. Then with a great snort he 
charged out of the water, sending the 
[82] 



In Africa 

white spray flying in every direction, 
and the Colonel had to ride hard to 
keep ahead of the tossing horn. But 
Means was after the rhino like a flash, 
and with a quick throw caught him 
round the neck. The big bay fell back 
on his haunches and the rope snapped 
like twine. 

"We'll miss that heavy rope to-day," 
Means said. 

"We'll tie him up with what we've 
got," the Colonel replied. '*Only we've 
got to tire him out some first. What 
we'll do is to make him charge us one 
after the other, so he'll run three times 
to the horses' running once." 

It was a full half -hour before the next 
attempt was made to throw a rope. 
Time after time the rhino came plunging 
out of the water to charge the nearest 
horseman. Our Western horses proved 
to be only just a trifle faster than the 
[83] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

rhino, so that each time the beast nearly 
caught them. Besides, here and there 
the ground was bad with ant-bear holes, 
which had to be avoided, for a fall would 
mean disaster. But little by little it 
became apparent that the rhino's con- 
tinual charging was beginning to produce 
an effect. 

In the meanwhile the rest of the chase 
was coming up. In the distance we 
could see them hurrying down the val- 
ley — horsemen and porters consider- 
ably scattered, as if each one followed a 
route of his own choosing. Kearton led 
on his big chestnut. He was carrying the 
heavy camera under his arm, the tripod 
over his shoulder. The reins were hang- 
ing loose over his saddle horn, his heels 
were thumping the horse's sides, and the 
perspiration was streaming down his face. 

"We lost you," he panted. "How's it 
going.? What a picture!" 
[84] 



In Africa 

Mac, the Mohammedan, and Aro, the 
Masai warrior, took the apparatus from 
him, and he dismounted and went to 
work. 

At the second attempt to rope the 
beast. Loveless caught him by one hind 
leg, and the rhino decided to shift his 
base of operations to an ant-hill in the 
neighboring clearing. His mode of pro- 
gression was to walk on three legs and to 
drag the black horse after him with the 
other. He reached the ant-hill and 
demolished it and paused for a breathing 
spell. 

The chase followed after, and Kearton 
went into action on the north, and 
Gobbet on the south, near a small thorn 
tree, with a negro porter beside him. 
The rhino caught sight of Gobbet's 
camera and charged. The porter went up 
the tree like a flash. Gobbet was bent 
over, looking through his view-finder, 
[85] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

which, of course, gave him no idea of how 
fast the beast was bearing down on him 
nor how close he had already come. 

"Look out!" yelled the Colonel. 

Gobbet glanced up over the top of the 
camera and made a jump for the tree. 
But the porter was already in the 
branches, and the tree was so small there 
was not room for two, and Gobbet had 
to run for it. The next second, with a 
powerful upward stroke of his horn, the 
rhino sent the apparatus flying. Then 
Means succeeded in attracting his atten- 
tion and he charged the horseman in- 
stead. Gobbet picked up the debris, 
found that the tripod-head was split 
clean in two as with an axe, found the 
camera itself undamaged, found there 
w^as enough head left to support the 
camera, quickly mounted his machine 
again, and was just in time to catch the 
end of the rhino's chase after Means. 
[86] 



/ n Afr i c a 

And all the while Kearton had his 
camera trained upon the scene in which 
his assistant was playing the conspicu- 
ous part. 

"I hope I got that good," he said; 
"it'll make fine action — fine." 

From one position to another, from 
ant-hill to thorn tree and back to ant- 
hill once more, the fight went on through 
the long, hot afternoon. Ropes were 
thrown and caught and broken, mended 
and thrown again. The horses were 
pulled, all standing, one way and an- 
other. Rolls of film were exposed and 
replaced by fresh ones. The rhino sulked 
and stormed and charged in turn. 

At the end of the fourth hour. Love- 
less had one short length of light line 
left. The rest of the ropes were dangling, 
broken, from the rhino's legs and neck 
as he stood at bay over the ruins of the 
ant-hill. 

[87] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

The sun was rapidly canting toward 
the west. The continual work in the 
intense heat, without food or water, was 
beginning to tell on both horses and men. 
The rhino was weakening faster. But 
only one hour of daylight remained, and 
if the beast could hold out till dark we 
should lose him. 

There was the dead stump of a tree 
with the roots protruding lying in the 
grass near by. The Colonel told Means 
to fasten the stump to the last piece of 
line, and Loveless rode toward Kear- 
ton's machine, past the rhino, dragging 
the stump behind him. As the Colonel 
had foreseen, the beast charged at the 
stump, and the loose ropes hanging from 
him became entangled in the roots. 

So on they went at a run, first Love- 
less, then the stump, bounding over the 
ground, then the charging rhino, headed 
straight for Kearton's camera. The 
[88] 



In Africa 

Masai warrior stood by the tripod with 
his long spear poised high, and Kearton 
turned the handle and shouted at Love- 
less: 

"How many times have I got to tell 
you not to come straight into the lens? 
Bring him on at an angle! ... I don't 
want to be unreasonable," he added, 
when the rhino stopped, "but you ought 
to have learned better by this time." 

Then, by hauling in gently. Loveless 
succeeded in recovering two of the 
ropes, and they were pieced together 
and thrown again, catching the rhino by 
one hind leg. Both the cowboys put their 
horses to work pulling forward on the 
rope, and they lifted that one hind leg 
ahead. The tired beast shifted his great 
body after it, and thus step by step the 
horses dragged him up to a tree, where 
Loveless passed the end of the rope two 
turns around the bole and made it fast. 
[89] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

The rhino charged once just before 
the knot was tied, and Loveless had to 
jump into the branches through the 
thorns to escape. He charged again, 
rather feebly this time, trying to get 
free, but the rope held well and tripped 
him up. After that he stood quietly at 
the end of his tether, watching the cam- 
era in a sullen way while Kearton took 
his picture with the last few feet of film. 

By this time the light was almost 
gone, the films were finished, horses and 
men were nearly done, and, besides, it 
was moving day and high time we 
resumed the march. 



[90] 



PART THREE 



PART THREE 

THERE was no use trying to avoid 
the fact any longer. The hons, 
for the present, had left the 
Sotik country, and by remaining in camp 
at the Soda Swamp the Buffalo Jones 
Expedition was only wasting time. And 
time was precious then — was growing 
more precious every day — if we expected 
to finish the work before rains. 

The lion was the only big game we 
wanted now to complete the list of wild 
animals roped and tied, and the hon 
was the most important of all. The expe- 
dition had traveled the long journey to 
the Sotik country especially to find them. 
Yet ever since the capture of the rhi- 
noceros on the moving day of March 
20th we had thoroughly swept the land 
[931 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

in the vicinity of the Soda Swamp with- 
out finding even a single spoor. It 
simply meant that the lions were not 
there. Some explanations were offered, 
some arguments arose as to the whys and 
wherefores of this state of affairs. A 
few maintained that the lions had always 
been found there before; it was strange 
they should have gone. A theory was 
advanced that the rains were late and 
the country was unusually dry, so that 
the game had shifted to better pastures. 
Perhaps some water hole they depended 
on had failed. There is generally some 
discussion on such occasions. We had 
counted so much on the Sotik to give us 
our chance that the truth was hard to 
realize at first. But no matter what 
the cause might be, we were finally 
forced to acknowledge the undeniable 
fact — the lions had left the district. 
On the evening of March 25 the expe- 
[94] 



In Africa 

dition faced the situation. As usual, 
the night fell cold, and when supper 
was finished the company collected about 
the fire that was burning close to the 
horses. A light wind stirred in the 
leaves overhead and the sky was full of 
stars. Here and there a tired horse 
was already half asleep, and his head 
nodded gently in the firelight. From the 
darkness came the low talk of the saises, 
rolled in their blankets on the ground 
at the end of the picket line. 

Most of the men stood with their backs 
to the flames, gazing vacantly at the 
horses, the trees, or the stars. For a while 
not a word was said. Means threw an- 
other log on the fire and then squatted on 
his heels and silently watched the flames 
catch the bark and flare up brightly. As 
the heat increased, Kearton took a step 
farther away and stood again. Every 
one knew that the Sotik had failed us 
[95] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

and that it was time for us to go, and 
so eventually when the Colonel spoke he 
only voiced the general conclusion. 

"We've got to go back/' he said, 
speaking straight in front of him at the 
nearest of the sleepy horses. "We've 
got to go to-morrow and have a try 
from the water hole at the Rugged Rocks 
where we saw the two lions on the way 
out here. We may find one there and 
we may not. If we don't, we've got 
to go on to Nairobi and start all over 
again — provided the rains don't begin." 

Accordingly, through the long hot 
days the safari plodded back over the 
way we had come — from the Soda 
Swamp to Agate's, from Agate's to the 
Honeybird River, and then on once 
more to the Last Water. The cameras 
were stowed away on the wagons, the 
ropes remained coiled on the saddles, 
for there was no probability of our find- 
[96] 



In Africa 

ing lions on the way. And each man 
rode as his judgment decreed, because 
the business of the safari then was to 
get on over the road, and the ox-wagons 
behind came along as best they could. 

For the most part it was a silent jour- 
ney. The expedition had turned its back 
on the district that only a short week 
ago had held out such alluring prom- 
ises, and any day now the rains might 
commence effectually to put a stop to 
the work before it was done. Then, 
too — although this may seem to be a 
small matter, still it had weight with all 
of us — the white hunters of the coun- 
try had ridiculed the idea of our being 
able to rope a lion, and the prospect of 
returning and admitting defeat without 
having been given a proper chance was 
not pleasant to contemplate. 

At the Last Water we outspanned for 
the night and most of the succeeding 
[97] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

day. In view of the situation, the long 
halt was absolutely necessary to give the 
oxen a good rest and drink before setting 
forth on the twenty-four-hour journey 
without water to the Rugged Rocks. 
But throughout the dragging hours of 
the enforced rest always there loomed 
ahead of us the possibility of failure and 
the need of haste. No mention was 
made of this openly. The only sign of 
our underlying anxiety was a vague rest- 
lessness pervading the entire safari. 

Once on the march again, with the sun 
low in the west, the restlessness disap- 
peared. The night came dark, because 
the moon rose late, and the air was 
still, so that the dust that lifted from be- 
neath the feet of the oxen drifted along 
with the wagon. Now and again one of 
the wheels bumped over a rock in the 
road and the brake beam shook and 
rattled. At times the high-pitched cries 
[981 



I n Afr i c a 

of the native drivers pierced the still- 
ness. Ahead of us the bulk of the wagon- 
load loomed big against the stars. 

When the dying moon first showed 
red through the branches of the twisted 
trees, the safari crossed the top of the Mau 
and commenced the slow descent to the 
valley, and the wagons in front became 
lost in the darkness and the dust. When 
the morning star rose, we had come to the 
foothills of the escarpment, and the dawn 
wind sprang up cold, so that the men 
shivered a little in their saddles and 
buttoned up their coats and began to 
talk. 

"It was just about here that we 
caught the giraffe that day," said Kear- 
ton. '' Remember .f^ And wasn't it hot .^" 

The talk drifted aimlessly, round and 

about, from the western ranches to 

Flicker Alley and the London Music 

Halls, only to return in the end, as it 

[99 1 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

naturally would, to the water hole at 
Rugged Rocks and our chances of find- 
ing lion. The discussion was lengthy 
on this point — it always was. 

By the time the sun came, the expe- 
dition had entered the plain of the Rift 
Valley, and with the rising of the sun 
the thirst began. Toward noon we 
halted for a couple of hours to allow the 
worst of the heat to pass over, gave 
the horses and the porters a little of 
the water that was carried on one of the 
wagons, and then inspanned again and 
went on. As the horsemen took the 
road the Colonel outlined his plan. 

"We'll give the horses a good rest to- 
night, for we ought to make camp early, 
and then start hunting the first thing in 
the morning. We've got enough horse- 
feed to last us three or four days if 
the water holds out that long. In that 
time we ought to get a lion if there's 
[1001 



In Africa 

any there. I'll ride on now a bit and 
look for signs." 

The Colonel's horse was a faster walker 
than the others and slowly he forged 
ahead. Little by little the safari began to 
string out along the road until wide spaces 
grew between the ox- wagons, with the 
porters straggling after them a mile be- 
hind. A change had come over the valley 
since we had seen it last. The land was 
whiter beneath the blazing sunshine and 
the dust lay thicker in the road. Some- 
how it seemed deserted. The only move- 
ment was the shimmer of the heat waves. 

The camera department had the slow- 
est mounts, and as the march had be- 
come a plodding procession, in which the 
horses were allowed to choose their own 
paces, one by one the other members 
of the expedition passed us. 

Loveless came from behind and rode 
with us for haK a mile or so. 
[101] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

'*I've been thinking this thing over," 
he finally said, **and my idea is that 
after the dogs get the lion stopped, one 
of us can go by him, rope him, and keep 
on going, and then the other fellow can 
catch him by the hind legs and we've 
got him. If you keep on going fast 
enough, I don't think he'll have a 
chance to spring at you." 

In the pause that followed the deliv- 
ery of this opinion on a matter that 
had been thrashed out a hundred times 
before, his horse gradually carried him 
farther ahead until he had gone beyond 
the range of talk. 

Ulyate, the white hunter, was the 
next. Kearton had just finished fill- 
ing his pipe and he silently reached out 
the bag of tobacco. But Ulyate shook 
his head. 

"Throat's too dry," he said. "But 
I want to be sure I understand what 
[102] 



In Africa 

I've got to do. I 'm to stand by to pro- 
tect the cameras and leave the Colonel 
and the two boys to look after them- 
selves. If the lion charges them I'm not 
to fire — only if he comes at the cameras." 

"That's right — only if he comes at 
the cameras." 

"That's what I thought, but I wanted 

to make sure It's a likely place, this 

Rugged Rocks," he continued over his 
shoulder. "We might easily find one 
to-morrow." 

Means on his big bay borrowed a drink 
of water from Gobbet's canteen, and 
rode on after the others. 

The march of the safari grew slower 
and slower. The road was flat, bending 
a little back and forth in long, sweeping 
curves, like a rope that had once been taut 
but was loosened. The native drivers 
no longer cried at the oxen, for the beasts 
knew by instinct that they were traveling 
[103] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

to water, and could be relied upon to do 
their best; and the men rode with their 
heads hung down, watching the shadows 
of the horses on the road and hoping to 
see them lengthen. 

The Colonel, the two cowboys, and 
Ulyate reached the Rugged Rocks at least 
an hour ahead, and when the rest of us 
came straggling in we found them seated 
on the ground with their backs to the bole 
of a tree. None of them looked up as 
we halted there, dismounted, and turned 
the horses loose. Then Ulyate spoke. 

"Water hole has dried," he said. 

There was nothing to be done about 
it. If the water hole had dried, it had 
dried. That was all. And we had to 
push on to Kijabe. Lions or no lions 
there was no appeal from that decree. 
So we sat down with the others and 
watched the progress of the far-off dust 
cloud that marked the approaching wag- 
[104] 



In Africa 

ons. Then, when darkness came again, 
the safari resumed the march. 

But the Colonel refused to abandon 
his former plan entirely without making 
at least one more attempt. Together 
with the two cowboys and Kearton he 
remained behind to scout at dawn the 
district between the Rugged Rocks and 
the railway. 

"We might be able to tell if it's worth 
while to come back here," he explained. 

It was nearly noon of the following 
day before the scouting party rejoined 
the expedition on the platform of the 
Kijabe station. The party reported that 
near the base of Longernot, the northern 
volcano, a belt of lava rock rises perpen- 
dicularly from the plain. Close to the 
southern end of this belt they had flushed 
two lions, a male and a female, and had 
kept sight of them for fully an hour. 
It was the opinion of all in the party 
[105] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

that the Hons Hved in the neighborhood, 
probably in the rocks. 

"Very Kkely," said Ulyate; '*no one 
has ever hunted that corner of the val- 
ley. There is no water there." 

At first the Colonel was anxious to 
start back for them at once, hauling the 
water with us; but after a moment's 
reflection he was compelled to concede 
that it was time to call a halt. Means 
had strained his back again and could 
no longer sit straight in the saddle. 
An old thorn wound in Loveless's foot 
needed attention. Horses, dogs, and 
oxen were entirely fagged out. And 
besides, the camera department de- 
manded time to develop the earlier pic- 
tures, already too long kept in the 
rolls. 

Of course, as the Colonel maintained, 
the rains might come and the chance be 
lost. Also the lions might not live in 
[1061 



In Africa 

the rocks, as we thought, and to-morrow 
they might be gone. 

"Better grab the opportunity while we 
have it," he said. 

"Look at the horses," said Means. 

The Colonel walked deliberately along 
the platform to where the horses were 
tethered among the trees, and stood 
there watching them for quite a while. 

"You're right. Means," he said, when 
he returned to us. "They'll need at least 
four or five days before we can put them 
at a lion — well, we've got to chance it." 

The next five days were the longest 
in the history of the expedition. The 
Colonel, Means, and Ulyate remained at 
Kijabe with the outfit. The rest of us 
traveled down the line to Nairobi to 
procure more porters, more horse-feed, 
and more supplies; and every day we 
watched the weather closely and specu- 
lated on the probabilities of how long 
[107] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

the lions would see fit to remain in the 
district. The time was so short that all 
other plans had been abandoned to take 
advantage of this one opportunity — the 
expedition was plunging, so to speak, on 
this final chance to succeed. But the 
weather held clear, and in the meanwhile 
the preparations for this last attempt 
w^ere pushed with the utmost speed. 

The hunters at Nairobi, together with 
the storekeepers and farmers of the vicin- 
ity, had heard of the capture of the 
rhino. On occasions some of them spoke 
of it to us. They explained that they 
had thought all along that we could un- 
doubtedly rope a rhino. 

"But you haven't got a lion yet, 
have you?" they said. 

On April 5 the preparations were 

nearly completed and Loveless 's foot 

was nearly well. So we started up the 

line to rejoin the outfit, leaving Gobbet 

[108] 



In Africa 

at Nairobi to finish developing the films. 
We could not afford to spend more time 
in preparation. 

At Kijabe we found the horses thor- 
oughly rested and Means 's back much 
improved. He had refused to see a 
doctor, asserting that his back would just 
naturally get better of its own accord. 
He said he was ready to start. 

With one exception the dogs were in 
good condition — old John from Arizona 
with his scars of many battles, Rastus 
and The Rake, taken from a pack of 
EngUsh fox-hounds, and Simba, the ter- 
rier, and the collie, chpped like a lion, 
from the London pound. Sounder, the 
American bloodhound, still showed some 
effects of distemper. But none of the 
dogs was to be left behind on this jour- 
ney. 

That night the ox-wagons were loaded 
— one with provisions and camp bag- 
[109] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

gage, the other with drums of water — 
and when the dawn first began to break 
over the top of the range the expedition 
set forth from the station. The crater 
on Longernot had already caught the 
first rays of the sun when we reached 
the bottom of the hill and started across 
the flat land of the valley. 

There was no road leading to where we 
were going, nor track, nor path of any 
kind. No safari had ever gone there 
before. From the height of Kijabe sta- 
tion we had seen what looked to be a 
long, low mound in the distant veldt. 
The southern end of that long, low 
mound was our destination. 

The horsemen, as usual, spread out 
in a widely extended line and passed in 
front of the wagons and porters. As 
we penetrated farther into the valley 
the nature of the country altered. 
Open parks and stretches of scrub sue- 
[110] 



In Africa 

ceeded one another, with here and there 
a dry donga cutting deep into the ground. 
As we approached the mound it rapidly 
grew in height and the black rocks com- 
menced to appear beneath the covering 
of verdure. 

Among the settlers of the district 
this mound is called the Black Reef. 
It is the general opinion that the Black 
Reef is formed of lava that long ago 
flowed down into the plain from the 
crater of Longernot. The sides, which 
rise almost perpendicularly to a height 
of some two hundred feet, are composed 
of jagged blocks of stone, honeycombed 
with deep caves and caverns. The top 
is covered with thick scrub and creepers 
and tall, rank grasses. To the south- 
ward it ends abruptly, as though the 
lava flow had suddenly stopped and 
cooled. 

Under the shadow of the Black Reef 

[111] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

the hunting party was divided into 
three parts. The day was too far ad- 
vanced for any real hunting to be done, 
but as long as the light lasted the Colonel 
wanted to make a personal survey of 
the ground in the immediate vicinity of 
the rocks. Accordingly he rode to the 
northern end of the reef, sending the 
two cowboys to the plains to the south, 
while the rest remained where we had 
halted, behind the southern shoulder, 
to wait for the arrival of the wagons and 
make camp. But the only incident of 
the afternoon was a thunder-cloud that 
rose up out of the north and hung there, 
and then gradually disappeared, as the 
twilight advanced. 

The others were late in coming in. 
The Colonel in the north had found 
tracks — innumerable tracks of differ- 
ent kinds of beasts — all excepting those 
of the lion. In the south the two cow- 
[112] 



>^w^y^^^'- 


; ** ■' ,.1 .f *,'',' 


f-~wMk^ 


isfiil 


«i 


|g^ 




^^^^^^^^HHjJPpik ft'^i JHI^^ilH 






> 
1 


» 


1 


^ 


^^^■K 


«HPi 


,■4 


m 



In Africa 

boys had found a large mixed herd of 
game; and Loveless had dismounted to 
shoot for meat, when out of the herd a 
rhino charged him and he had to kill it 
to save himself. 

"Well, so long as he's dead we'll let 
him lie where he is," said the Colonel. 
"Lions are mighty fond of rhino meat. 
They'll travel miles to get it. Day 
after to-morrow, say just at dawn, we 
ought to be able to pick up a fresh trail 
there. If we don't, it will mean that the 
lions are no longer here, that's all." 

Loveless grunted some unintelligible 
comment. 

"Might as well be cheerful," said 
Means. "We're not beat yet." 

The first real hunting day commenced 
at daylight the next morning. Hour 
after hour the horsemen traveled the 
plains, back and forth, and across and 
around, and carefully searched the base of 
[113] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

the Black Reef on every side. Only one 
spot was left untouched. The Colonel de- 
creed that no one should approach where 
the dead rhino lay, lest our presence 
there should arouse suspicion too soon. 
The rhino was a sort of special chance 
that was to be saved for the proper time. 

The day was unusually still and cloud- 
less. Here and there throughout the 
plains scattered herds of zebra, harte- 
beests, and gazelles grazed in peace. 
Not a spoor or a sign of lion was to be 
seen. For us the day was a blank, and 
toward evening the thunder-cloud rose 
again out of the north and again melted 
away into the twilight. 

The camp behind the shoulder of the 
Black Reef was a dry camp. Every drop 
of water had to be hauled in drums from 
Sewell's Farm. The ox-wagon went in 
the morning and returned in the after- 
noon. In this way we could haul just 
[114] 



In Africa 

enough water to last the outfit twenty- 
four hours. Special rules were inaugu- 
rated. Horses and dogs were given the 
preference always, and one of the escaries 
was detailed to guard the drums. 

That night the wagon was long in re- 
turning from Sewell's. When it finally 
arrived, the water in one of the drums 
had a strange taste. 

"It's bad," said Loveless. 

Immediately the affair assumed grave 
proportions. That particular drum be- 
came the most important object in camp. 
A feeling akin to personal animosity 
sprang up against it. For a time the 
merits and demerits of the case were 
seriously discussed, and some of the 
porters gathered there and stared stu- 
pidly at the wagon-load of water. 

"I'll tell you what it is," said Ul- 
yate; "it's the weeds they've used as a 
stopper." 

[115] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

The weeds in question were inspected 
closely and various judgments passed, 
and some of the men were reminded of 
other times in other lands when the 
water had turned bad on their hands. 

Means drew a cupful and sipped delib- 
erately. 

"It might be the weeds," he finally 
remarked. *'It's not really bad — only 
tastes bad." 

So in the end we begged the question 
by setting the drum aside and deciding 
to use it only if we had to. 

But there were other matters to be 
determined that evening. 

In the Colonel's opinion the time had 
come for us to try to find a trail at the 
carcass of the rhino, and the talk lasted 
far into the night. When finally evolved, 
the plan of campaign was simple. 

It was arranged that the Colonel, with 
the dogs, should go to the southeast, 
[116] 



In Africa 

where the dead rhino lay, the two cow- 
boys should ride about two miles to the 
southwest and wait near the lower end 
of the big donga, and Kearton, Ulyate, 
and myself should scale the southern 
face of the Black Reef, where, with the 
aid of glasses, we could keep in touch 
with the Colonel and the boys on the 
plain below. Thus the men would be 
stationed at each corner of a vast tri- 
angle. If the Colonel flushed a lion, 
the animal would probably break for 
either the rocks or the donga, and so 
either the cowboys or the camera depart- 
ment could cut him off. Because the 
distances were so great, the customary 
signal of two revolver shots to "gather" 
could not be relied upon; the lighting of 
a fire would mean the same. 

The morning star was still bright in 
the eastern heavens when the expedi- 
tion rode out of camp in the early hours 
[117] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

of April 8. At the end of half a mile 
the three parties gradually separated on 
slightly diverging lines and moved 
silently to their appointed stations. 
Leaving the horses and the camera por- 
ters at the base of the reef, the three of 
us of the center station climbed the 
rocks in the darkness and waited for the 
dawn. 

Slowly the first signs of day appeared 
over the hills and the morning star com- 
menced to fade. As the light strength- 
ened, the wide panorama of the plains 
and the far-off mountains unfolded and 
the individual patches of scrub and 
single trees began to stand out distinctly 
from the general blur of the darker 
reaches. 

For fully half an hour everything was 
still and the light steadily broadened. 
Then suddenly Ulyate pointed. 

In the plain to the southeast we could 
[118] 



In Africa 

see a black speck moving about in a 
strange manner — first one way, then 
another, then stopping and moving on 
again. 

"It's the Colonel," said Kearton, who 
had the glasses. "I think I can see the 
dogs. He's up to something." 

It was not many minutes before the 
Colonel's actions took on a different 
trend. For a space he rode straight for 
the reef. There the smaller black specks 
of the dogs appeared on the plain in 
front. No doubt remained now of what 
the Colonel was up to. The dogs were 
on the trail of some animal — lion or 
hyena, there was no telling which — but 
the scent was hot and the hunt was 
coming strong. 

At one place the dogs made a big 
bend to the north toward our camp. So 
the beast, whatever it was, had come to 
have a look at us in the night. 
[119] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

For the first time then, as they swung 
back for the rocks, we faintly heard a 
hound give tongue. It was the only 
sound in the stillness. 

Kearton began tearing up the dry 
grass that grew in the cracks between the 
rocks, and piled it in a heap. 

"Not yet," said Ulyate; "wait till 
we're sure." 

On came the hunt, following close to 
the southern base of the reef. The 
hounds could be heard giving tongue in 
turn now. The Colonel rode behind, 
leaning forward and cheering on the 
dogs. 

"He's made for the rocks all right — 
come on," said Ulyate as, rifle in hand, 
he started down the cliff. 

Kearton touched a match to the pile 

of grass, and blew on it in his hurry, and 

as the small flame sprang into life he 

threw on some green stuff and in a thin 

[120] 



In Africa 

blue column the smoke rose up straight 
into the air. 

"That will fetch the boys all right," 
he said, and we followed Ulyate down to 
the plain. 

Although the delay in lighting the 
fire was brief, yet by the time we had 
reached the base and had mounted the 
horses, the Colonel, Ulyate, and the dogs 
had already passed out of sight beyond a 
farther out- jutting buttress of rock. 

We rounded the buttress only to find 
that the chase had vanished. The almost 
perpendicular wall of rocks was empty. 
There was a moment's halt. Then two 
quick shots rang out, and at once there 
began a general chorus of baying, yelp- 
ing dogs, intermingled with the deep, 
heavy roar of a lion. 

The sounds came from somewhere in 
the thick growth on top of the Reef, so 
we left the horses and climbed toward 
[121] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

the sound. On the plateau the ground 
was covered with rugged lava blocks, 
and the scrub and creepers were so dense 
that when Kearton shouted Ulyate's 
name the white hunter answered from 
not more than ten yards away. 

"It's a honess," said Ulyate. "The 
dogs have got her bayed. Look out! 
She's just on the other side of that bush. 
When I got here I found the Colonei 
seated on his horse, facing the beast and 
trying to rope her. He didn't even have 
a knife on him. Why she didn't charge 
him I don't know. He couldn't get away 
over this kind of ground. He told me to 
call the others and so I fired." 

When the cowboys arrived from the 
distant donga, they came threading their 
way toward us through the brush, lead- 
ing their horses. A short consultation 
was held. 

"We've got to shift her," said the 
[122] 



In Africa 

Colonel. "Can't do anything with her 
here. Bring the firecrackers. Bring — 
there she goes!" 

The lioness had decided the issue and 
had bolted of her own accord. There 
was a streak of yellow through the 
bushes, a scrambling of dogs, wild, fright- 
ened cries from the approaching camera 
porters, and the hunt was on once more. 

The beast ran to an open cave at the 
edge of the plateau and crouched there 
facing the dogs. To maneuver the horses 
was absolutely out of the question, so 
the lioness had to be shifted again. For 
upward of two hours then, by means of 
the dogs, firecrackers, and lighting the 
grass, we drove her from one stronghold 
to another, from crevasse to crevasse, 
in trying to force her down off the reef. 

The sun rose and the heat commenced. 
The dogs were feeling the strain of the 
constant baying. One by one they would 
[123] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

seek a spot of shade and lie panting there 
for a while and then return to the fray. 
Sounder, being weak from distemper, was 
the first to give out, but he had done his 
share of the work. Porters were sent 
back to camp to bring water. Because 
the ground was bad and the beast was on 
the defensive, photography was difficult, 
but Kearton managed to catch small bits 
of action here and there, with Ulyate 
standing by him. 

The day advanced and the dogs showed 
signs of tiring fast, yet the lioness still 
clung to the stronghold of the rocks. 
Every means at hand to drive her into 
the open had been tried time and again 
without avail. The task began to look 
hopeless. We had already reached the 
stage when we saw our resources coming 
to an end. 

"Get a pole," said the Colonel, "and 
we'll poke a noose over her." 
[124] 



In Africa 

"It won't work," said Loveless. 
"We've tried that often enough to show 
it won't work." 

"Just the same we'll try it again," 
repKed the Colonel. 

Loveless had just started to hunt for 
the pole when, without warning, the 
beast gave a quick, savage snarl, scat- 
tered the dogs from in front of her, and, 
dropping down the face of the reef to 
the plain below, ran straight for the dis- 
tant donga. 

Old John led the chase, with the rest 
of the dogs trailing along as best they 
could, and behind them the men and 
horses, camera porters, saises, and dog- 
boys went scrambling down the rocks in 
pursuit. 

On the bank of the donga the lioness 

stopped to fight the ropers. She had 

run far enough and meant business now, 

and the hunt came up and halted a 

[125] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

short distance away for a breathing 
spell. 

The lioness had taken up her position 
at the end of a short tongue of land pro- 
jecting into the donga, so that she was 
partially protected on three sides. The 
yelping dogs had quickly surrounded her, 
but she paid little heed to them now. 
Crouched by the side of a small thorn- 
bush, she watched every move of the 
horsemen preparing to advance. 

Kearton mounted his camera at one 
side of the scene, selecting his position 
with care to obtain the best background 
and general composition. He shifted 
about two or three times before he was 
satisfied. 

''Of course there's no telling which 
way she's going to jump," he explained. 
"But we might as well get the beginning 
of it right." 

Means went first. Slowly he maneu- 
[126] 



In Africa 

vered toward her for a chance to throw 
his rope, and the Honess, alert, opened 
her jaws and snarled at the horseman 
circling near. 

Closer and closer Means approached. 
Then all at once she charged. Means 
wheeled and spurred his horse to escape. 
For the first thirty yards of the race the 
lioness gained rapidly. Then the bay 
began to gather headway and slowly 
forged ahead. 

With a quick change of front the lion- 
ess turned and charged the Colonel, who 
was sitting on his horse near by. Again 
the lioness gained at first and again the 
horse drew away from her, and so, giv- 
ing up the charge, she returned to an- 
other thorn-bush, where she crouched 
down low and snarled and growled as 
before. And all the while Kearton, on 
foot with his tripod, was busy taking 
pictures of the show. 
[127] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

This second position of hers gave the 
horsemen a better chance. There was 
now more room in which to get near her 
by a quick dash past the bush. While 
Means edged around on the northern 
side, the Colonel moved to the south, 
and by tossing his rope about and shout- 
ing he managed to attract and hold her 
attention. In fact, he nearly succeeded 
too well, for once she rose to the first 
spring of the charge and the Colonel 
half wheeled his horse for flight, but the 
beast sank back again and glared at 
him. 

Then from behind her Means darted 
forward on the run, swinging his rope 
free round and round his head. Kear- 
ton began shouting. 

'*Wait — the camera's jammed! Wait 
a bit — she's jammed here!" 

But there was no stopping then, and 
before the lioness knew what he was up 
[128] 



In Africa 

to, Means dashed by within a few feet 
of her and roped her round the neck. 
But a lioness's neck is short and thick, 
and with a quick, cathke twist she sHpped 
the noose over her ears. 

"Why can't they wait?" complained 
Kearton. "Somebody tell them to wait 
till I fix this. It's jammed. It must 
have got knocked on a rock somewhere. 
It never acted this way before." And all 
the while he talked his fingers were busy 
ripping out the jammed piece of film and 
loading up afresh. 

When Kearton declared himself ready. 
Loveless, this time, had already taken 
up his position to the north. Again the 
Colonel waved his rope and shouted, and 
when the right moment came Loveless 
dashed past her and likewise roped her 
round the neck. Again the beast slipped 
the noose. 

Here a rather strange thing happened. 
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Lassoing Wild Animals 

We had been told on many occasions 
that in shooting Hons the beast will give 
its attention to the man who has the 
rifle, as if the instinct of the animal told 
it which man to fear. Up to this mo- 
ment the lioness had held off the horse- 
men easily, but no sooner had she freed 
herself from Loveless's rope than she fled 
into the donga and hid herself in a thicket 
of scrub and grass. For a time then it 
seemed that nothing would move her 
from out this scrub. The dogs were 
finished. Men and horses were becom- 
ing played out. Firecrackers and burn- 
ing grass were used without result. 
Eventually the Colonel fastened a forked 
stick to his rope and dragged it across 
her hiding-place to uncover her. This 
maneuver partly succeeded — succeeded 
enough, at least, for Loveless to throw 
his rope at her. And at the sight of the 
rope coming toward her through the air 
[1301 



I n Africa 

she hurled herself at him like a flash, so 
that it was only the side jump of his 
horse that saved him; then she turned 
and broke away along the donga. 

At once Means was after her, galloping 
hard, for without the dogs there was 
danger of our losing sight of her. 

But the lioness did not run far. Her 
next and last position was in the bed of a 
small gully about three feet deep in the 
bottom of the donga and thickly grown 
with grasses. Here the ropers held a 
brief consultation and planned a final 
attempt. 

Loveless made a throw and the noose 
landed fairly above the beast's head, but 
the thick grasses held it up. Loveless 
passed the other end of his rope over the 
branch of a near-by tree and down to the 
horn of his saddle. 

The rest of us, with the cameras 
trained on the scene, had no knowledge 
[131] 



Lassoing Wild Animals 

of the plan. We had not the shghtest 
idea what the Colonel intended to do. 
Still wondering, we watched him pro- 
cure a long pole and ride quietly along 
the edge of the ditch toward the place 
where the lioness crouched. 

For a moment there was intense si- 
lence. The Colonel stopped his horse. 
Then, leaning over from his saddle, he 
poked the noose down through the 
grass. 

With a roar the beast sprang at him 
— sprang through the loop — and at the 
other end of the rope Loveless yanked 
quickly and caught her by the last hind 
leg going through. Putting spurs to his 
horse, Loveless galloped away, hauling 
the lioness back across the gully and up 
into the tree, where she swung to and 
fro, dangling by the one hind foot and 
snapping upward at the rope she could 
not reach. 

[132] 



In Africa 

" Got her ! " yelled the Colonel. " Now 
the rains can come when they like." 

The beast was furious. She was still 
swinging head down like a pendulum, 
from the limb of the tree, and was toss- 
ing her body about in frantic endeavor 
to get loose. Means approached close 
and deftly slipped a noose over one of 
the wildly gyrating fore legs. Leading 
his rope over the branch of another 
tree, he stretched her out in a helpless 
position parallel with the ground. 

"Now lower away on both Hnes," said 
the Colonel. 

He dismounted and stood beneath her, 
directing affairs as methodically as the 
foreman of a construction gang. 

"Steady, Means — a little more, Love- 
less — now together — easy." 

She came within his reach and with a 
quick grab he caught and held her two 
hind legs with both hands while Kear- 
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Lassoing Wild A n i m a I s 

ton bound them together with a piece of 
hght hne. 

The rest was easy. In less than five 
minutes she was bound securely and low- 
ered all the way to the ground to rest in 
the shade. 

It was nearly noon, and time to call 
a halt to let the heat of the day pass 
over before attempting to bring her 
back to camp. Porters were sent to 
fetch food and more water, horses were 
off-saddled and turned loose to graze, 
and one by one the dogs came straggling 
in. 

The men stretched themselves out 
on the ground where a bush or a tree 
afforded some protection from the sun. 
But the Colonel kept wandering over to 
the prize, to examine a knot, to arrange 
a better shade, or to pour the last drops 
of water from his canteen into her open 
mouth. Once he stood over her for a 
[134] 



In Africa 

while, watching her vain attempts to 
cut the ropes with her teeth. 

"Yes, you're a beauty," he finally 
said. "You're certainly a beauty. I 
guess we'll just have to take you home 
with us as a souvenir of the trip." 



[135] 



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